Dreamforce 2018: 4 years into the ecosystem, first year on-site.

I was responsible for bringing my team out and making sure we were fully dialed in to cover a booth. The team was green, but it was critical to make sure that we showed up like we’d done this before.

Leading up to it, I ran booth training for the team. The usual things: how to engage, what to say, where to stand so you don’t look like you’re avoiding eye contact. It also marked the first of many “what not to wear” presentations, which, in my opinion, is equally important.

We covered the talking points. The high-level messaging. Enough to feel prepared. And then, within what felt like five minutes of the event starting, the CEO walked straight up to me.

No warm-up. No small talk. Just me holding a stack of our latest industry insights reports and him asking me for the top three takeaways. Cool.

In that moment, you realize very quickly that “generally familiar with the content” is not the same thing as being able to confidently explain it on the spot to someone who definitely knows it better than you.

And I delivered.

It was also the moment it clicked that booth training isn’t really about scripts or perfect answers. It’s about making sure your team is ready for whatever (or whoever) decides to walk up next.

Because sometimes it’s a casual passerby. Sometimes it’s not.