News From : DagangHalal.com (02 Aug 2009)
Aggressive roadshows and event marketing are key to establishing the Brunei Halal Brand, a keynote speaker said at the first session of the International Halal Market Conference which commenced yesterday at the International Convention Centre, Berakas. The main topic of discussion for morning session was on Brunei’s role in the global Halal market. Keynote speaker Mr Noel Shield, a consultant to KerryFSDA, Hong Kong and also the interim CEO of Ghanim, presented his paper ‘Taking the Brunei Halal Brand to the World’.
He highlighted on the importance to market the Brunei Halal Brand and its products. The development and funding of promotions in various international markets will have a multifunctional approach to the promotion of Brunei tourism, airlines and others.
“The product has to be tested, felt and experienced by consumers. The first step is to make sure the products are based on the quality standards in accordance with the market.
“We, as the distributor, must work with the retailers, demo-stations to enable the mechanism work in all levels”, he said. According to Mr Noel, organising road shows, event marketing and the help of the media further contribute to the marketing process.
The product compliance, quality and food safety is also one of the most important aspects of the Brunei Halal Brand. Ghanim will outsource all Halal compliance and inspection procedures to the Brunei government.
“This outsourcing arrangement will be governed by a service agreement between Ghanim and the Brunei government Halal inspection entity,” said Mr Noel.
In conclusion, he mentioned that the Brunei Halal products are locally made and Bruneian people can be a ‘vehicle’ to put Brunei on the map.
In the afternoon session, keynote speaker, Hajj Abdalhamid Evans, Senior Analyst, from Imarat Consultants Sdn Bhd International, presented a topic on “Halal: The Key Economic Recovery”.
According to Hajj Abdalhamid, although Brunei is spared by the global economic recession, the effects can still be felt in other parts of the world.
“Halal plays a role in policy-making and decisions around the world, therefore it is important to identify the keys to its recovery.
“There are many compelling factors to the Halal sector where multinational corporations have growing and long-term commitment from restaurant chains, retailers, manufacturers and producers”, he added.
The proliferation of Halal SME also includes the expansion into personal care, health and pharmaceuticals arenas all over the world today.
“Most importantly, Halal now means a wider market access globally”, he said.
According to Hajj Abdalhamid, the greatest evaluation of the values of Halal in the market today would be syariah guidance.
“We start to think that Halal encourages the re-evaluation of values – numerical or commercial – and the application of divine guidance (syariah law) to the arena of business and commerce”, he said.
The Halal market and the its parameters are set according to the definitions of Allah and His Messenger where the values include animal welfare, environment protection, health and safety of the people and ethical transactions.
Hajj Abdalhamid also highlighted the five key components of Halal market: government, certification, industry, consumers and finance. These components are the collective commitment to uphold Halal values.
In conclusion he said, “we have access to the best of all knowledge of ‘deen and dunya or best of this world and the best of the ‘next’.
“If we take this responsibility, we can bring health back to arenas of trade and commerce, for a genuine recovery. This is the real potential of the Halal industry.”