When we partnered with a fair/event organization, they were preparing for a challenge they faced every year: rapidly scaling their workforce before the annual fair.
At first glance, it may seem like the biggest obstacle is recruiting enough people. However, anyone who has experienced rapid growth knows that getting people hired is only one piece of the puzzle.
Hundreds of new employees need to understand their roles, complete onboarding requirements, access important systems, learn expectations, and feel confident before they ever interact with a guest. Without the right structure in place, leaders quickly become overwhelmed, employees become confused, and small issues turn into much bigger operational challenges.
Our goal was not simply to help them add more employees. Our goal was to create a process that allowed hundreds of new team members to be successful from the start.
Finding the Right People Before Opening Day
When an organization needs to hire quickly, it can be tempting to focus only on filling open positions. The problem is that moving fast without understanding fit can create challenges later.
A successful event depends on having people in roles that match how they naturally work. Some positions require constant guest interaction, quick decision making, and adaptability. Others require consistency, attention to detail, and following specific processes.
That is why we helped integrate tools like Predictive Index (PI) into their hiring process.
Predictive Index gave leaders additional insight into how candidates are naturally wired to work. Instead of only asking, “Can this person do the job?” they could also consider, “Where will this person have the greatest opportunity to succeed?”
When employees are placed in roles that align with their strengths, they are more confident, more engaged, and better equipped to deliver a great experience.
Building Systems That Support Growth
Hiring the right people only works if those people are set up for success.
As their workforce grew, we helped build scalable systems that could support hundreds of employees joining the organization in a short period of time.
That meant creating a smoother onboarding experience, helping employees connect to their employee accounts, improving access to important resources, and making sure employees understood what needed to happen before their first day.
Strong systems reduce confusion for employees and remove unnecessary pressure from leaders. Instead of spending valuable time answering the same questions, tracking missing information, or solving avoidable problems, managers can focus on supporting their teams and delivering a successful event.
Using Employee Feedback to Improve Every Year
The work does not stop when the fair ends.
One of the biggest opportunities organizations have is learning from the employees who experienced the process firsthand. The people working directly with guests, navigating daily operations, and using the systems often have the best insight into what is working and where improvements can be made.
That is why employee engagement is such an important part of the process.
By gathering feedback after the fair, leaders can better understand the employee experience, identify opportunities for improvement, and continue strengthening the process year after year.
The goal is not just to successfully scale once. The goal is to create a repeatable system that gets better every season.
Growth Should Not Create Chaos
Most businesses will never need to 10X their workforce before opening day, but every growing organization eventually reaches a point where old systems stop working.
Processes that worked for a small team become difficult to manage. Communication gets harder. Leaders have less time. Employees need more clarity and support.
The organizations that scale successfully are not just the ones that hire more people. They are the ones that intentionally build the structure, systems, and teams needed to support growth.
Because scaling your workforce should not mean scaling your headaches.
With the right people, the right processes, and a commitment to listening to employees, growth becomes something an organization is prepared for instead of something it has to survive.
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