Hot idea
Go for an all-inclusive resort to allow dining flexibility and ease of managing a master bill for large groups of participants.
Brief
TTG Asia Media took its employees from the Singapore headquarters to Mauritius – an island nation in the Indian Ocean off the eastern coast of Africa – for its annual teambuilding getaway. As this was a rare chance for many of us to visit the destination, the programme was a mix of scheduled team bonding activities and free time.
Highlights
The programme in Mauritius started early on May 10, with a teambuilding session at an old sugar mill. Over an hour, our group of 44 took part in a treasure hunt and traditional games that required team work.
The highlight of my day – and probably of the entire trip for most of my colleagues – was a quad bike track. The two-hour ride on 450cc quad bikes took us on bumpy dirt roads through sugarcane fields, small river crossings, and vegetable plantations. The ride culminated in Pont Naturel on the southern part of the island. We spent about half an hour there, where we took countless photos, and admired towering waves crashing into the volcanic rock.
We were all famished after the ride, and the event organisers were well prepared for that – surprising us with a delicious barbecued lunch awaiting our return to the sugar mill.
A second teambuilding session followed after lunch, this time back at our base, Hotel Riu Creole. The high-energy session got us running around the resort to complete various challenges. Kudos to the Hotel Riu Creole staff, who dressed up in character and drummed up excitement.
On the second day we called at the Casela World of Adventure – a safari-esque park – where we got up close and personal with giraffes, ostriches and ancient giant tortoises.
Lunch, kindly arranged by Mauritius Tourism Promotion Authority, was at the rustic Restaurant Varangue Sur Morne, where we enjoyed panoramic views of the surrounding forest, sea and mountains while tucking into local Mauritian dishes such as chayote squash in bechamel sauce.
Post-lunch sightseeing brought us to Rhumerie de Chamarel, where we learnt how sugarcane was distilled into rum; as well as took in views of the cascading Chamarel Waterfall, and Seven Coloured Earth.
On our final day, the group split up to do their own chosen activities. Some of us went for a laid-back cruise onboard a catamaran; others headed to the capital of Port Louis to take a look-see; and a good number hung out at the beach and kayaked in the calm waters just in front of Hotel Riu Creole.
Challenges
To speed our group through flight check-in, Air Mauritius created a special lane for us at Changi Airport’s Terminal 1.
Due to the group size, there was a shortage of quad bikes. To get around this, we were put on double quads and everyone took turns to drive and pillion.
It was a challenge for the large group to navigate the tall sugarcane fields. One of the lead riders – an appointed participant in the group – lost sight of the guide, a group of us to go off track. Fortunately, we were able to retrace our tracks and a guide was already on the lookout for us. That said, it was a hitch that could have been avoided by having more guides familiar with the trail to lead segments of the group.
To easily feed 44 hungry bellies every day, the company put us up at the all-inclusive Hotel Riu Creole, which meant that all meals and drinks were covered and everyone could eat whatever they fancied.
FAST FACT
Event: TTG Annual Teambuilding Trip
Organiser: TTG Asia Media
Event company: Mauritius Tourism Promotion Authority
Venue: Mauritius
Date: May 9 to 14, 2019
Attendance: 44
