43 Projects in 28 Days: How We Survive at 200% Capacity

January has zero respect for your post-holiday recovery in the trade show industry.

While most of the world is slowly waking up from the holidays, our Orlando and Las Vegas fulfillment centers are already running at full speed. The show schedules fill up. Freight trucks start moving. The panic emails start flying.

For CREW XP, this is our favorite time of year.

We just finished our kickoff sprint. The final score? 43 projects in 28 days.

That is not a typo.

When you move that fast, you learn a lot about your team. You also learn exactly how much coffee a human can consume before vibrating.

We talked about the madness in the latest episode of The Experience Builders Podcast. Here is a look at how we survived.

The Pressure Test

Trade show season does not ease you in. It throws you into the deep end.

For agencies and exhibit houses, January sets the tone for the year. If you miss a deadline now, you are playing catch-up until June.

Our teams in Las Vegas and Orlando just wrapped one of our busiest months ever. We handled display builds. We managed island booths. We executed private events.

The goal was simple. Everything ships on time. No excuses.

Did it test our systems? Yes. Did it test our sanity? Also yes. But it showed us what our team is made of.

Leadership on the Floor

Titles are great for business cards. They are useless on a show floor at midnight.

When the project list is 43 lines deep, hierarchy goes out the window.

“Sometimes the best thing a leader can do is stop leading and start lifting. When the team is tired, they don’t need a motivational speech. They need someone to grab a drill.”

That is how we operate. Project managers sweep floors. Directors load trucks.

It isn’t about looking heroic. It is about getting the job done so we can all go home.

What We Learned

Running at 200% capacity is an education. Here is what we figured out this month:

• Desks are overrated. You cannot gauge morale from an office chair. You have to be shoulder-to-shoulder with the crew.
• Flexibility is mandatory. The 9-to-5 workday does not exist in show season. Sometimes it is 7-to-7. We adjust schedules so people don’t burn out.
• Food fixes everything. You would be amazed at what a well-timed lunch delivery does for productivity.
• Trust is speed. You cannot micromanage 43 projects. You have to hire adults and let them do their jobs.

Supporting People, Not Just Projects

We tell our clients that we extend their capacity. We must do the same for our own people.

When our project managers are drowning in emails, leadership steps in. We kill the unnecessary meetings. We skip the protocols that don’t add value.

If a process adds ten minutes but saves zero dollars, we cut it.

Sometimes support means pulling a quote. Sometimes it means driving a box to a venue. The point is to clear the road so the team can drive.

Controlled Chaos

Every January, someone walks into the shop and says, "It is crazy in here."

They are right. But we kind of like it.

We call it controlled chaos. It is where teams bond. It is where you find out who can solve a problem with duct tape and a smile.

At 200% capacity, you either break or you bond. We prefer to bond.

A Word to Our Partners

If you are an agency partner or exhibit house, you know the drill. Your inbox is a disaster zone. Your phone battery is dying by noon.

We have good news. We are built for this.

When you hand a project to CREW XP, you are giving it to people who thrive in the noise. We expect the chaos. We plan for it.

You don’t have to explain what "urgent" means to us. We know.

The Takeaway

The January rush is a test. It tests your endurance, your patience, and your caffeine tolerance.

But mostly, it tests your leadership.

The best thing you can do is step down from the office and pitch in. You will earn more respect in one hard week than in a year of boardroom meetings.

Want to hear the full story?

Check out the latest episode of The Experience Builders Podcast: “43 Projects in 28 Days – How We’re Supporting Teams at 200% Capacity.”

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