AD&PRLAB: Crisis Management Simulation Lab — The “Ubis Catering Hellas” incident.
The following article is part of the crisis simulation exercise that our team participated in, within the course of “Crisis Management” of Panteion University, facilitated by Mania Xenou and Betty Tsakarestou.
The exercise employed a real-time simulation, where a scenario was developed and all students were divided and assigned to three specific roles (Food Catering Company, Ministry of Foreign Affairs or Mainstream Media).
Scenario: Mrs. Beth Carbon, a member of the British delegation, is suffering from food poisoning symptoms during the delegation’s stay at the Greek hotel «ΑΣΤΥ», where the catering is managed by Ubis Catering Hellas.
During the simulation activity, students were asked to:
- monitor the development of the crisis and wait for new information than was released each day,
- maintain communication with the stakeholders (government, media, public) &
- take any necessary actions at any time during the simulation.
Day 1
The simulation exercise started on the 16th of January 2019. Our team was assigned the role of the catering company “Ubis Catering Hellas”.
As the catering company, we received a phone call from the general manager of hotel “ΑΣΤΥ”, who informed us that Mrs. Beth Carbon is sick and is suffering from symptoms similar to food poisoning. The night before, Mrs. Carbon had dined in the hotel’s restaurant. The manager requested the conduction of a research over the matter. As a team, we knew it was time to decide our first approach and actions based on the available information so far, knowing well that equanimity and composure, as well as time-management, will be crucial.
On the same day, the Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs contacted us asking for more available information over the incident. Our reply to the Ministry consisted of the facts that we knew: Firstly, we informed them about the high standards of our services and the quality control procedures that our company always follows. Secondly, we made sure they know that our company is already conducting every essential research that is required over the whole process, which includes the quality of the products, the transportation and the personnel. A press release of similar content was also sent to the Media. Moreover, in order to maintain digital transparency and direct communication with the public, we addressed the issue over our company’s website and social media profiles:
Day 2
On the 17th of January we were informed by a representative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, that a second member of the delegation is suffering from a stomach disorder with symptoms such as nausea, vomit and fever. There is no evidence that the incidents are connected to each other.
At the same time, the tests that we had conducted so far designated no problems or wrong-doings from our products, suppliers, carriers, the cooking procedure, chefs and the rest of the personnel.
We immediately informed the Ministry about the results of our researches. The Ministry expressed its concerns about the possibility of this incident being a terrorist attack and a telephone call between our company’s and the Ministry’s PR agents was arranged for the very next day.
Since we hadn’t received any calls or emails from the Media till that time, we authorized a press release to the Media offering them the results of the tests we conducted and denying any implication of our company with the unfortunate incident. The Media responded by sending us a plethora of questions. Even though several of them had been already addressed in our press release, we responded again accordingly. It was during that time that the Media provided us with some information that made us skeptical of its reliability and validity, since it didn’t correspond with the medical confidentiality and came with no evidence whatsoever. The information by the Media was: “We sent a reporter in the hospital, he communicated with the hospital staff and learned that Mrs. Beth Carbon was diagnosed with poisoning”.
Day 3
On the 18th of January we received from Panagiotis Mpouloumpasis, our manager of quality control in the hotel’s restaurant, that the official results from the tests that were conducted by the formal authorities, EFET (Hellenic Food Authority) and the General Chemical State Laboratory, came to an end and both confirmed that our products did not contain any pathogenic organism. Moreover, the background check for our personnel and the hotel’s staff proved their trustworthiness.
On the same day:
- We were also informed that Mrs. Carbon is recovering quickly.
- We received some other questions from the Media and we immediately responded to them appropriately.
- We communicated with the Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs (by phone call) and confirmed our data. The possibility of food poisoning was entirely excluded. The Ministry also excluded the possibility of a terrorist attack.
Day 4
With undeniable evidence in our hands, but with several rumors still spreading in the Media and the Press, we decided to update the public through our social media profiles.
Social media can undeniable be one of the most effective crisis communications tools. As there was no doubt about our company’s reliability and integrity, we had to make sure that our clients and the public knew that we were not involved in this unfortunate incident.
A press conference was held the same day at the broadcasting studio, issuing the official statement of our company and the Ministry and engaging in a Q&A session with the press.
During the session our representatives kept their composure and focused on communicating the official results and facts instead of spreading rumors and speculations that could only confuse and mislead the public. We made sure that the public knew that our company took all the necessary actions, was cooperative with the Media and the Ministry and that we worked with speed and efficiency. Moreover, the information we communicated to the public through our social media platforms was always accurate and transparent.
In the following presentation you can see a more detailed display of our team’s movements and approach of the situation within the scope of the simulation exercise:
Our Experience
During this winter semester we had the chance to learn about the nature of a crisis, the different types of it, how to detect its current stage, several aspects of crisis communication strategies and planning, as well as the importance of time-management and use of social networks. We also came to understand what it means to have a crisis mindset, which requires the ability to think of the worst-case scenario while simultaneously suggesting numerous solutions. Last but not least, we were presented with real-life examples of successful and unsuccessful crisis management.
The simulation exercise was challenging and, in many ways, so much different from other university activities we had done so far. It was definitely a very interesting and educational experience. We learned that the best response to any crisis is the formation of a crisis management team that will make sure that all issues are addressed and resolved before they are blown out of proportion. It is very important to assign roles, such as a spokesperson, and deliver a clear, consistent message to everyone involved in the crisis. Performing under time pressure and trying to keep up with the overflowing data was something that stirred our interest and helped us immerse even more in this realistic setting/scenario that the simulation provided us with. We also came to understand how social media tools can help with the aspect of communication during a crisis. For every business and organization, reputation is very important and a serious issue can damage the relationship with the clients, partners, stakeholders, employees and the public. It is important to maintain organizational reputation.
Our team (C1): Amanda Voulgari, Vickie Gatsiou, Angela Douka, Daphne Diapouli, Aristea Papadopoulou, Mpleona Tzaka, Iliana Chalimourda, Ioanna Chatzimanolaki.
Special thanks to all the teams that participated, our instructor Mania Xenou and our professor and Head of Advertising & PR Lab Betty Tsakarestou. Thank you for this amazing experience!
Comments and opinions are greatly appreciated!
