The need to work together to overcome the difficulties faced by the Middle East’s poultry producers was amongst the conclusions to emerge from the region’s 1st Poultry Marketing Round Table, held at VIV MEA.
Jointly organized by Middle East Agrifood Publishers (MEAP), WATT Global Media and VIV, the event focused on crisis management and attracted leading poultry producers and experts from across the region and further afield. (Watch here: https://www.meap.net/newsletter/pmrt/vivmea21_2/)

In a first for VIV MEA, participants and speakers joined the event both in person and remotely.
The Middle East has a long history of overcoming crises but will need to become ever more adept at working in challenging circumstances. The Poultry Marketing Round Table offered an opportunity to share expertise and best practice and to see how companies had confronted their own
challenges.
Each company has its own strategy, and each crisis demands its own response, and it was agreed that crisis survival is both a science and an art. According to Tony Freijeh, CEO of Egyptian agribusiness concern Al Wadi Group: “In a crisis you don’t always go with the flow. Sometimes, you bend with the wind, while at others you stand firm against the storm”. Each particular crisis needs to be carefully analyzed and each can offer opportunities if judged correctly.
William Boutros, President of the Syndicate of Lebanese Poultry Producers and co-owner of Lebanese poultry company Wilco, noted that, amongst other areas, businesses must engage stakeholders and governments and have active public relations campaigns. They must implement strong social responsibility policies and engage in social activities, helping to ensure that, should a crisis occur locally, the company is not physically attacked.
Examining how, companies might cause a crisis, what they should do to recover, and how they should communicate in a crisis, Kate Hartley, cofounder of crisis simulation training consultancy Polpeo and author of Communicate in a Crisis, noted that acting in line with company values, truthfulness, owning up to errors, and regular communication were key to overcoming a crisis. Establishing intent – defining where a company wants to be at a specific point following a crisis breaking – can help to focus minds, she continued, so that all actions are focused on surviving the crisis and rebuilding public trust.

Here's the link to the speeches made during the PMRT:

https://www.meap.net/newsletter/pmrt/vivmea21_2/
https://www.vivmea.nl/news-and-press/webinars/pmrt/?utm_source=nieuwsbrief-EDM%2011%20-%20Show%20Review&utm_medium=e-mail&utm_campaign=edm_VIV%20MEA&vnuseg=viv_webinars&email=EDM%2011%20-%20Show%20Review