Halla Rafati, President, Halo & Co., Toronto speaks about business in the time of COVID19
Halo & Co.
How has COVID19 affected your business?
At Halo & Co., we have seen both extremes. Our event business has come to a screeching halt since social distancing is so crucial. However, our crisis communications services have never been more relevant. All our hospitality clients find Halo invaluable during times like this so that’s kept us all busy, and, thankfully, the agency continues to thrive.
It’s also forced us to think and plan differently. Knowing we will all come out of this with a renewed sense of priorities, we are always asking ourselves: how can we, as communicators, adapt to that shift in mentality? What type of storytelling will resonate with people once this is all behind us?
How are your teams working and communicating during such times?
I think many businesses have pivoted quickly to be able to WFH. Chat, video conferencing, text, and email are all tools we use to stay connected. As a team, we are regularly on iMessage and Zoom. We have always worked collaboratively as a team on G Suite so nothing has changed there in terms of sharing files and keeping everything digitally organized. Socially we use FaceTime, House Party and WhatsApp. All our clients use MicrosoftTeams which I have come to love as a platform. The group chat system also gives way to video and phone conferencing, making it very easy to manage pods.
How are you helping your local community during such times?
I am blessed to have a partner like Catriona Smart whose primary focus is, and has always been how we can give back to the community – a value that our entire team embodies. On both the @haloandcompany and @cocoandcowe platforms, we shout out small businesses and tell people how they can contribute to their survival; we offer WFH tips and tricks and share our essentials; we share inspirational stories we see around the world to infuse positivity and hope; and, most importantly, we are trying hard to keep our business alive so we can continue employing our valuable team members.
This is a once in a lifetime event for all of us, do share your reason for optimism?
This has been a catastrophic event in all our lives, one which has had a profound impact on so many. Somehow, the fact that we are all in this together makes it more palatable. I like to focus on the positive. It’s forcing us all to take care of ourselves and the people around us. To spend quality time with our loved ones. To help your neighbours. It’s a time where we can take pause to reflect on how we are as a society, and how we are all connected as citizens of this great world. Now is the time where patience, diligence, strength, perseverance, courage, and kindness kick in. It’s an opportunity for all of us to look deep in ourselves, ignite those qualities and allow them to flourish. Hopefully we can allow this to be an upside during this global issue that has shaken us all to our core – so that we continue to do better and be better.
Halo & Co. is a full service communication strategy agency based out of Toronto. For more information kindly log on to http://www.haloandco.co/
This story is written and edited by Yugbodh, for The Onside Media, Canada, If you have stories to share kindly email: – info@theonside.com
