About the Program
The Trade Show Program helps companies turn their trade show investment into real relationship advancement — replacing reactive booth behavior with intentional preparation, disciplined execution, and follow-up that actually moves relationships forward.
Most organizations attend shows without a system — they scan badges, work the booth, and follow up reactively. The result is a lot of activity with little compounding value.
This program changes that. Built around the MiM™ philosophy that trust compounds through consistent, intentional behavior, the Trade Show Program installs structure before, during, and after every show. It ensures teams arrive prepared, qualify intentionally while on the floor, and follow up with discipline — so every dollar spent creates defined forward movement in the right relationships.
The program runs across three phases — Pre-Show, During Show, and Post-Show — with a total of seven sessions plus two bi-weekly outreach check-ins. This structure is important because it's both how the program is sold and how it's executed. By the end, the client has a repeatable system they can deploy at every future event.
If you're new to the MiM™ philosophy on events, start with Events as a Strategy →. If you want context on how trade shows fit into a B2B growth strategy specifically, read The Role of Trade Shows → before facilitating this program.
When to Recommend
Recommend the Trade Show Program when a client is exhibiting at trade shows but isn't confident in their strategy or return — or when trade shows are a viable channel for their industry and they haven't tapped in yet. This program is designed for exhibiting companies. If a client is attending only, see Attending a Trade Show → (link coming soon)
When assessing fit, look for these signals:
- No clear goal or target list going into each show
- Passive booth behavior — waiting rather than engaging
- Inconsistent follow-up after events close
- Leadership questions event ROI but can't explain why
Strong signal:
"We spend a lot on shows, but we're not sure what we're getting from them."
Before recommending, confirm that trade shows are a real channel in this client's market — that ideal accounts actually attend, that decision-makers are present, and that deals in this industry genuinely originate from live events. If those conditions don't exist, the program is not the right fit.
Role of the MiM™ Team
MiM™ Coach: The Coach leads the advisory relationship throughout the program — facilitating goal-setting sessions, reviewing the client's preparation, and running the post-show debrief. The Coach is the strategic voice that helps leadership stay focused on the right relationships, asks the hard questions about what the show actually produced, and ensures each event builds on the last rather than starting from scratch.
Relationship Developer (Studios): The Relationship Developer supports the client's outreach strategy — helping craft pre-show messaging, reviewing target account lists, and advising on follow-up sequencing after the show. They don't run the outreach themselves, but they ensure the client has the right materials, the right approach, and the right cadence to execute it well.
Sales Tech Manager (Studios): The Sales Tech Manager advises on the backend systems the client will use to capture and track relationships at the show — CRM configuration, lead capture setup, and follow-up automation. They help the client get everything in place before the show opens so nothing falls through the cracks after it closes.
Creative Director (Studios) The Creative Director advises on the physical booth experience — evaluating how the space looks, functions, and communicates to an ideal account walking past for the first time. They ensure the booth environment is designed to invite the right conversations, not just attract attention.
Program Outline
The Trade Show Program is delivered across three phases and seven sessions, with four additional bi-weekly check-ins during the Post-Show outreach period.
- Pre-Show builds the strategy and systems.
- Post-Show holds the team accountable to the follow-up discipline that determines whether the show actually compounds into relationship advancement.
By the end of the program, the client has a documented, repeatable trade show system — not just a strategy for one event, but a framework they can run independently at every show that follows.
If you have not done so yet, read the philosophies that guide this program below.
PHASE 1: Pre-Show
1: Defining Success
- Program Progress10%
Duration: 60 minutes
Timeline: ≥ 8 weeks pre-show
Led by: Coach, Relationship Developer
Attendees: Client Sales Leader
The Coach works with the client's sales leadership to define what a successful show actually looks like — how many target account meetings to pursue, which existing relationships to advance, and what specific outcomes would justify the investment. These aren't aspirational numbers. They become the criteria every pre-show decision is measured against and the baseline the post-show recap returns to.
Click below to learn more about the philosophy and how to facilitate this session.
2: Designing the Experience
- Program Progress20%
Duration: 60 minutes
Timeline: ≥ 7 weeks pre-show
Led by: Coach, Sales Tech Manager (flex: Creative Director, Experience Designer)
Attendees: Client Sales Team
This session designs the full experience a prospect will have at the booth — what they see, how they're engaged, and how that conversation gets captured and carried forward.
The Coach decides who's in the room based on what the client needs:
- Creative Director — if the booth may need redesign or creative direction is unclear
- Experience Designer — if specific assets (signage, handouts, branded materials) need production
- Sales Tech Manager — to align CRM, lead capture, and follow-up automation with the booth experience
Before leaving this session, the team should confirm the client's budget for the show so everyone is working within a clear set of limits.
Click below to learn more about the philosophy and how to facilitate this session.
3: Pre-Show Outreach
- Program Progress30%
Duration: 60 minutes
Timeline: ≥ 5 weeks pre-show
Led by: Coach, Relationship Developer, Sales Tech Specialist, Creative Director
Attendees: Client Sales Team
In the week before this session, the Creative Director and Sales Tech Specialist each record a short Loom walking the client through their work — booth design concepts and CRM setup respectively. The client reviews both ahead of time so the live session can focus on feedback, approvals, and any questions. Once booth design and tech setup are signed off, the Creative Director and Sales Tech Specialist are released and the Coach and Relationship Developer walk the client through the pre-show outreach plan — who we're reaching out to, what we're saying, and when it goes out. The goal is to leave with everything approved and ready to move into production and launch.
Click below to learn more about the philosophy and how to facilitate this session.
- Program Progress40%
4: Show Roles
Duration: 60 minutes
Timeline: ≥ 4 week pre-show
Led by: Coach, Relationship Developer
Attendees: Client Sales Team
The Coach introduces the MiM™ trade show role framework — the Hawker, Knowledge Expert, and Sales Authority — and works with the client's sales leadership to assign roles to each team member attending the show. The session also covers what the MiM™ team will be doing behind the scenes during the show to support the client's efforts on the floor, and establishes the follow-up plan so every conversation that happens at the show has a clear next step and an owner before the team ever leaves.
If the client wants MiM™ team members on the floor with them — in place of or alongside their own staff — that can be arranged as an add-on, scoped and priced outside the standard program.
Click below to learn how to facilitate this session.
- Program Progress50%
5: Show Ready
Duration: 45 minutes
Timeline: 1 week pre-show
Led by: Coach, Relationship Developer
Attendees: Client Sales Team
A check-in scheduled for the week before the show. This is the session where the Coach walks the client through every meeting that's been set — who they're meeting, where, and when — so the client arrives at the show knowing exactly what their schedule looks like.
It's also the moment for any last-minute changes to the team or target list, open questions, or final confidence checks. The team should leave the show knowing their roles, their questions, and their plan. This session exists to make sure that's true.
PHASE 2: During Show
- Program Progress50%
Show Support
Led by: Relationship Developer
Timeline: During the trade show
This is not a session — it is an active support phase
While the client's team is on the floor, the Relationship Developer is working behind the scenes — executing whatever support was agreed on in Show Roles, so the client can stay focused on the conversations in front of them.
Click below to learn how to support the client during the show.
PHASE 3: Post-Show
- Program Progress70%
6: Post-Show Debrief
Duration: 60 minutes
Timeline: 1-2 weeks post show
Led by: Coach, Relationship Developer
Attendees: Client Sales Team
After the show, the Coach facilitates a structured debrief with the client's sales leadership. How did results compare to the goals set in Session 1? Which relationships advanced? Where did follow-up stall? What worked in the booth approach and what needs to change? The goal isn't a celebration or a post-mortem — it's an honest assessment of what the show actually produced, and what the team will do differently next time.
Click below to learn how to facilitate this session.
- Program Progress100%
7-8: Relationship Updates
Duration: 30-60 minutes
Timeline: Bi-weekly for 2 meetings (4 weeks total)
Led by: Coach, Relationship Developer
Attendees: Client Sales Team
In the four weeks following the recap, the Coach and Relationship Developer meet bi-weekly with the client to review outreach progress on every post-show contact. Which sequences are moving? Where are relationships stalling? Are commitments being kept? These check-ins exist because post-show momentum is fragile — most follow-up quietly dies two weeks after the event. By the final session, the post-show pipeline should tell a clear story — which relationships advanced, which need more time, and whether the show delivered on the goals set at the start.
Click below to learn how to facilitate these sessions.
By the end of the program, the client has a repeatable trade show system — documented, role-assigned, and ready to run independently at every event that follows. The show stops being a recurring expense and starts becoming a compounding relationship investment.