If you haven’t already, review the Designing a Trade Show Experience before starting. It explains the mindset behind the program and how to think through the MiM™ lens when guiding your client.
Timing & Participation
Session: 2 of 10
Duration: 60 minutes
Timeline: ≥ 7 weeks pre-show
Led by: Coach, Sales Tech Specialist, Creative Director
Attendees: Client Sales Leader
This session exists before any other preparation begins for one reason: without defined success criteria, there is no standard for the show to meet. Everything built in Sessions 2–5 — the system, the outreach, the follow-up plan — should be designed to achieve what is agreed on here. The Coach leads this session. The Relationship Developer supports with context on outreach capacity and target account approach.
Preparation
Time Required: 30–45 minutes
Led by: MiM™ Coach
Timing: 2–3 days before session
Preparation for this session has three distinct goals — the Coach needs to be ready to teach the MiM™ perspective on designing a trade show experience, the Creative Director should come primed with an understanding of the client's show and early ideas around booth design, and the Sales Tech Specialist needs enough context to advise on the right technology setup for how this client captures and tracks relationships on the floor.
Step 1. Brief the Team
Share any show details gathered in Session 1 with the Creative Director and Sales Tech Specialist before the session.
Ask each of them to come with initial observations and ideas based on what they know about the show, the client's industry, and any past trade show experience the client has shared.
Step 2. Prep the Working Whiteboard
The Trade Show Program page should already be in place from Session 1 (if it's not, go back to Defining Success preparation steps).
Before this session, prepopulate any additional details you've gathered since then so the team can hit the ground running.
Step 3. Send a Prep Email
From: MiM™ Coach
To: Client Sales Leader
Cc: Sales Tech Specialist, Creative Director
Subject: Designing the Experience Prep
—————-
Hi *contact name*,
Looking forward to our upcoming session together.
In our next conversation, we'll be focused on designing the experience your team will bring to the show — how the booth looks and functions, how your team will engage on the floor, and how you'll capture the relationships you start so nothing falls through the cracks after the show closes.
Our Creative Director and Sales Tech Specialist will be joining us, so come ready to think through the full picture of what you want this show to feel like for the people you're hoping to meet.
If anything comes up or you have any questions before then, let me know.
Talk soon,
MiM™ Coach
Step 4. Review the Teach Deck
- Open the Designing the Experience Teach Deck → in Canva
- Use Presenter View to review your speaking notes
- Practice transitions
- Focus on flow, not memorization
Your goal is to be fluent in what this session is designed to reframe. By the end of the teaching portion, the client should understand that trade show success isn't measured in activity — and be ready to set goals that will actually tell them whether the show was worth the investment.
With the team aligned, the whiteboard updated, and the deck reviewed, you're ready to lead the client through designing their trade show experience.
Teach
Time: ~15 minutes
Led by: MiM™ Coach
Walk the client through the teaching portion before moving to the whiteboard. By the end, they should understand that a great trade show experience is designed across three dimensions — and that every decision made in today's session will determine whether the show produces relationships or just activity.
Open the Teach Deck below to begin.
Gather
Time: ~45 minutes
Led by: MiM™ Coach
Transition from the Teach Deck over to the whiteboard to begin working through the three sections together. Each member of the MiM™ team leads their area of the conversation — the Coach facilitates and keeps the session moving.
Booth Design — The Creative Director leads this conversation. Work through the booth layout, what the space needs to communicate, and any design decisions that need to be made or confirmed before the show. Use the whiteboard to sketch, plan, or capture notes in real time.
Tech System — The Sales Tech Specialist leads this conversation. Confirm what technology the team will use on the floor, whether the booth will have wifi and electricity, and how contacts will be entered and tracked. Walk through the CRM setup and confirm it's ready for real-time use at the show.
Booth Behaviors — The Coach leads this conversation. Define the three qualifying questions the team will use on the floor, establish the handoff triggers between roles, and confirm that every team member knows their job before the doors open.
Immediate Follow-Up
Send a short follow-up email after each session, ideally within a few hours.
Follow-Up Email
From: MiM™ Coach
To: Client Sales Leader
Cc: Creative Director, Sales Tech Specialist
Subject: Designing the Experience Follow Up
—————-
Hi *contact name*,
Great connecting today — our team is excited to bring this experience to life.
We now have a clear picture of how the booth will look and function, how your team will operate on the floor, and how every conversation will be captured. Our Creative Director will begin working on booth design concepts and our Sales Tech Specialist will start outlining the CRM setup for the show.
We’ll use the next two weeks to get that work done, then in our next session we'll bring everything together — we’ll walk you through what we’ve built, get your sign off, and move into production.
Talk soon,
MiM™ Coach
Synthesize
Following the session, the Coach should review the whiteboard notes and translate them into clear action items with owners and timelines. The two primary workstreams to kick off immediately are:
Booth Design — The Creative Director should begin developing booth design concepts based on what was captured in the session. Confirm the timeline for when concepts will be ready for the client to review.
Tech Setup — The Sales Tech Specialist should begin outlining the CRM configuration needed for the show — contact fields, lead capture process, and any automation that needs to be in place before the team arrives. Confirm the timeline for when the setup will be complete and tested.
Both workstreams need to be far enough along before Session 3 so the client can see progress and the team can begin preparing for outreach.
Share
Once the session notes are organized and action items are assigned, add to the client's Trade Show procedures in their Digital Playbook. This page documents how the client's team will approach booth design, technology setup, and booth behaviors — so the system is repeatable at every future show, not just this one.
Playbook Update Email
From: MiM™ Coach
To: Client Sales Leader
Cc: Relationship Developer
Subject: Designing the Experience | Playbook Update
—————-
Hi *contact name*,
We've continued building out your Trade Show procedures in your Digital Playbook.
This page documents how your team will approach the booth experience — how it's designed, how technology will be used to capture relationships on the floor, and how your team will operate together so the show runs like a system.
You can review it here:
👉 Insert Playbook Link
As we move through the program, the playbook will continue to build. By the end, your team will have everything they need to run a great trade show independently — at this event and every one that follows.
If anything looks off or doesn't reflect what we discussed, let me know and we'll adjust it.
Talk soon,
MiM™ Coach
What's Next
With the booth experience designed and two workstreams now underway, the next two weeks are a production window. The Creative Director will develop booth design concepts and the Sales Tech Specialist will outline the CRM setup — both ready to present and refine in the next session.
Session 3 — Pre-Show Outreach — picks up in two weeks. The Relationship Developer will bring draft pre-show messaging for the team to review and refine together. If any additional information is needed to complete the messaging before then, the team will reach out ahead of the session.
Return to the Trade Show Program Overview to continue.