Blast from the Past - Client Close-Up: Plaza Phoenix (Cheras Sentral) - Orchan Consulting

When we took on Plaza Phoenix (now known as Cheras Sentral) as a client, we were challenged to step outside our comfort zone. As opposed to just announcing the rebrand and redevelopment to the community, we were with a few other PR issues to restart the project. But, the hurdle did not end there. What should we do when the developer was unable to bring a group of over 125 strata title owners in order to move forward?

Internal communication.

Previously, we wrote about the importance of internal communication (if you haven’t read about it, you can read it here) and it became a vital component in our communication strategy. Considering it involved over 125 parties, it’s fair to say it took some time. But most importantly, we became the trusted go-between for the parties and were able to put across non-emotional information to all who were involved, in a straight forward manner.

Besides undertaking the responsibilities of meeting all the individual strata owners, we became their ears. In situations such as this, there is nothing more important to hear what they’ve got to say and discover their concerns. To further gauge what worries them, we also share the development plans and got their input on those as well.

Then, we become their voice by communicating these concerns or issues to the developer in order for everyone to find a common ground to move forward with the redevelopment of the property. But it did not just stop at communicating with the stakeholders as we also undertook liaison work for tenants, and to help strata title owners to present their intended retail concepts to the developer.

Externally, we hosted a Press Conference to announce the redevelopment trajectory of Plaza Phoenix to property and business media, which was also attended by the Cheras MP who was a proud supporter of the project. Part of the communication message during the conference was to ensure that the much-anticipated LRT station adjacent from Plaza Phoenix would remain on track – getting people excited about the proximity of the property to public transportation and showcase that for people outside the general Cheras area, Plaza Phoenix is accessible; and ultimately to excite potential tenants. Additionally, we also hosted walkthroughs of the construction site for select media to showcase the progress made.

While Orchan has undertaken such work prior to Plaza Phoenix, it has never been on the scale of over 125 independent parties, each with their own vested interests and concerns. Needless to say, it was a great learning experience handling a project with so many competing interests, but developing and sustaining communication channels to offer a more transparent approach for all parties. We are proud to have become the central resource for opening up dialogue between parties who were hesitant to come together and talk.

Before we conclude, here are some articles you can check out: