Saeed Al Khotani Saudi Gazette RIYADH — International communications consultancy Hill-Knowlton Strategies announced Tuesday the launch of “Flight School”, its newest offering in Saudi Arabia. Flight School is a proprietary technology which simulates online crisis scenarios, allowing companies to practice their response to possible crisis situations. The simulator was developed to help organizations prepare in advance for crisis by allowing them to select a customized scenario, and then undergoing an interactive training session led by experienced professionals specializing in crisis management and emergency response. Using a unique dashboard, the program shows participants a realistic mock-up of how the crisis would unfold through various online channels, and allows them to practice and test their response. “Flight School was built on lessons learned through many years of conducting crisis simulations around the world, and we look forward to sharing this expertise with entities in the KSA to help grow their understanding of crisis and the skills needed to deal with it- particularly in an age of fast, direct communication,” said Rishi Saha, Regional Digital Director at Hill-Knowlton Strategies. “This technology furthers our crisis offering by integrating more platforms that will play into crisis exercises with clients we currently work with, helping them prepare to respond efficiently to various communications crisis scenarios across an array of channels, ” he added. By using the dashboard, participants will experience a series of mock-up messages and posts across an array of channels to which they would have the opportunity to respond. The channels involved include telephone, email and social media outlets such as Facebook and Twitter. The dashboard is completely secure and private and allows for immersive and realistic simulations. Through this new simulation tool, organizations can interact with traditional and social media without the risk of posting anything publicly. It also allows for the engagement of a spectrum of individuals that might be involved in a crisis situation, from social media managers to those involved in a front-line crisis response.
