APCO Worldwide Partners With Leading Technology Provider BeST to Strengthen Crisis Training Offering

New York – March 10, 2021: In an effort to help clients better prepare for and manage a crisis, APCO Worldwide launched a partnership with Be Strategic Solutions (BeST), a leading web-based simulation software provider based in Tel Aviv, Israel, to help drive emPOWER—a unique, interactive digital crisis simulation tool that combines virtual crisis role-playing game with advanced analytics and expert analysis, allowing executives to better understand how their organizations will respond during a crisis—Eliot Hoff, executive director and Global Crisis Practice lead, announced today.

“We are at a unique moment in time when how we work is rapidly changing. emPOWER is a groundbreaking digital crisis preparedness solution with the ultimately flexibility and meets companies wherever they are on their journey towards our new reality.  emPOWER is a dynamic multi-player learning experience that can be customized to fit a client’s unique needs,” Hoff said. “It represents the next step in the evolution of crisis simulation and planning: emPOWER mimics reality while utilizing the latest technology to allow remote participation—saving valuable time and resources—as well as big data analytics and metrics for optimal crisis protocol design and revision.”

Speaking about the partnership, BeST Founder and CEO Dotan Sagi said, “BeST is designed to prepare individuals and businesses to tackle any crisis by refining decision-making processes and problem-solving capabilities. We’re thrilled to work with APCO Worldwide to strengthen their clients’ ability to better manage the communications risks, threats and crises to which they’re vulnerable. ”

A crisis can quickly ruin a company’s credibility and reputation. APCO’s experience shows that it’s not the crisis itself, but rather the management of the response that determines the impact. emPOWER can examine a specific participant’s crisis preparedness—as well as communications preferences—and compare the actions of various departments within the organization to identify vulnerabilities. It gives participants the freedom and flexibility to simulate high-stakes situations in a fail-safe virtual reality to develop and hone the skills and procedures necessary to manage a crisis. Furthermore, to help organization tackle specific scenarios arising out of public health crises, APCO also created a dedicated simulation—emPOWER: Outbreak 2020.

“emPOWER is a much-needed next generation crisis tool for today’s new business ecosystem where crisis can disrupt business at the speed of thought,” said Barie Carmichael, member of APCO’s International Advisory Council. “emPOWER allows companies to assess their crisis-preparedness and provides the necessary insight into how to improve responses during a crisis.”

For decades, APCO has provided crisis, issues and litigation management support for some of the best-known companies in the world. emPOWER combines cutting-edge technological solutions with the best of APCO’s crisis counseling and training expertise, provided by leading industry veterans around the world, including Hoff, Kelly Stepno, Robert Ardelt, Nic Labuschagne and Stephan Engel. This convergence of technology and experience delivers unparalleled, actionable insight for improving crisis readiness.