Phare, The Cambodia Circus Workshop
How it works:
Phare, The Cambodian Circus is an award-winning troupe that use jaw-dropping acrobatics, juggling and other circus acts to retell Cambodian folk tales. It is the brainchild of a group of boys who underwent art therapy to deal with the trauma of the Khmer Rouge reign while living in refugee camps on the Thai border in the 1980s.
Today it offers underprivileged youngsters the chance of a new lease of life. A corporate event spin is provided through opportunities for teambuilding groups to learn a few acts, such as tumbling and juggling, from stars of the troupe.
The programme can be customised, and even include a team dinner and entry to a Phare show.
Where: Siem Reap, Cambodia
Capacity: Minimum eight people
Contact: Phare, The Cambodia Circus; ticketing@pharecircus.org
JUNGLE SURVIVAL
How it works: The indigenous Aetas, many of whom still live in Subic forests, taught the United States Navy Seals and Special Forces units jungle survival skills which proved useful during the Vietnam War.
When the US Navy left Subic Bay in 1992, Jungle Environmental Survival Training Camp was created to help the Aetas transfer their attention to the civilian population. Some of the original tribesmen who taught the Americans are still around to share their knowledge.
Customised activities include an overview of local plants and wildlife and their medicinal properties; and demonstration of mountaineering and survival techniques that the Aetas still use today (making cooking tools from bamboo, creating a full campfire without match, setting up animal traps).
Another option is an overnight stay in the jungle without food and water with an Aeta guide teaching how to retrieve water from various vines, survival skills using only knife, cooking rice using green bamboo, making insect repellent and soap from certain plants.
Where: Subic, the Philippines
Capacity: Five to 20 people
Contact: Jungle Environmental Survival Training Camp; adventure@jestcamp.com
CHRONICLES OF EXPLORATION
How it works: Teambuilding participants get to live a day as a travel blogger through this activity. As they explore the city, they are required to take photos according to specified topics using an iPad or any mobile device, and share the images – edited with PicsArt app – on Pinterest. The images must go along with a description of the experience. Teams will be judged based on their ability to address all specified topics, photography and editing quality, writing flair and usage of mobile applications.
Where: Across Malaysia
Capacity: 20 to 500 people
Contact: Apxara Travel & Events; ivanlim@apxara.com
DRAGON SQUAD
How it works: Time and resource management capabilities are put to the test in this activity themed after the traditional Chinese dragon dance. Participants are placed in teams and then tasked to construct their own bold and vibrant dragon while overcoming problem solving elements and interact to forge a stronger bond. Once completed, each team will perform a dragon dance with their uniquely created dragons. Teams are awarded points for creativity and performance. The dragon heads can be taken back to the workplace as a reminder of collaborative company success.
Where: Indoor locations across Hong Kong, Shanghai and Singapore
Capacity: 24 to 500 people
Contact: Team Building Asia; hongkong@teambuildingasia.com, shanghai@teambuildingasia.com, singapore@teambuildingasia.com
TAB TOUR
How it works: This interactive activity is flexible enough to be adopted by small groups working on hotel-based puzzles during meeting breaks or by massive groups of 1,000 people on city-wide explorations. Participants are equipped with a tablet PC and given a map with target destinations where they will take photos or videos and perform a task to earn points. Strategy is required in choosing targets, and participants get real-time information about their competitors through the map and scoreboard. A central PC collects the images and videos, which will be used in the results session. The Tab Tour can be customised to incorporate company branding and corporate goals.
Where: All major Thai destinations
Capacity: 10 to 1,000 people
Contact: Tabtourthailand; reinier@tabtourthailand.com
MINI OLYMPIAN GAMES
How it works: As its name suggests, Sydney Olympic Park, just 14km from the city centre and once home to the Sydney 2000 Olympic and Paralympic Games, provides corporate groups with the opportunity to hold their own sporting competitions. Over the course of two to four hours, participants are split into teams and rotate through events such at Ultimate Frisbee, Laser Clay Shooting and Volleyball held at various locations throughout the Park. At the culmination of the Games, results are tallied and the winning team takes home a gold medal at a ceremony. Prices start at AU$88 (US$67) per person for groups of 20 to 50 pax, and drop to AU$66 (US$50) for groups of 100 or more.
Where: Sydney Olympic Park, Sydney, Australia
Capacity: 20 to 500 people
Contact: Sydney Olympic Park; info@sopa.nsw.gov.au
SELFIE CHALLENGE
How it works: Selfie Challenge works by dividing groups of three people into three zones. To move through the zones, teams will get a set of four clues to help them answer challenges by taking selfies. These selfies are then sent to a designated mobile number via Whatsapp. Getting the right answer allows them to proceed to a physical challenge, which once completed takes them to the next zone. The game ends when all teams cover all three zones.
Where: Any outdoor venues in Malaysia
Capacity: 80 to 200 participants
Contact: TRUevents; terence@truevents.my
PARTY MAKER
How it works: This full-day team building programme challenges participants to deliver a party with stage entertainment, where the actors and the entire production stage worked together. They share the work load by practising song and dance, making decorations and ornaments, and preparing for a production.
Participants are divided into two groups. One takes care of the stage and party preparation while the other one handles the stage performances. The event organiser will assist and facilitate the groups’ needs, including musical instruments, a dance teacher who will impart a few dance moves, and a decorator who will provide guidance on venue and stage décor.
Party Makers aims to stimulate out-of-the-box thinking and challenge creativity.
Where: Indonesia
Capacity: 50 to 500 people
Contact: EGO Global Network; harry.egology@yahoo.com
ADVENTURE IN MASUNGI GEORESERVE
How it works: Masungi Georeserve in the rainforests of Baras, Rizal province, a few hours overland from Manila, is a 1,500-hectare conservation area with facilities that can be customised for teambuilding.
Participants can go around on a lambat or giant net; climb up a sapot or a cobweb-style viewing platform to get a panoramic view of the country’s biggest lake, Laguna de Bay; race to be the first inside Yungib ni Ruben, a cave formation within a karst landscape; climb one of the two peaks of natural sculpture and formation composed of several rocks piled on top of one another or the second peak with five limestone rock peaks interconnected by bridges.
Take a rest finally on the duyan or giant hammock.
Where: Masungi Georeserve, Rizal province,
the Philippines
Capacity: Seven to 10 people
Contact: Masungi Georeserve; trail@masungigeoreserve.com
TEAM BUILDER
How it works: Touted as Australia’s first aerial playground, MegaAdventure Aerial Park offers teambuilding activities for the brave. Over four to six hours, the Team Builder experience sees participants split into groups of four to six to compete in both ground and aerial challenges, working within specific rules and restrictions. Activities include the ParaJump, a 20m high free fall simulator, and SkyMate, a 70 obstacle high ropes course comprising of scramble nets, rope bridges, beams, swings, log steps, aerial surfboards and even Adelaide wine barrel steps.
Where: MegaAdventure Aerial Park, Adelaide, Australia
Capacity: Four to six people per team
Contact: MegaAdventure Aerial Park; achieve@megaadventure.com
TWILIGHT MYSTERIES
How it works: Twilight Mysteries is a game of twists and turns. The Twilight Bus of Horror will take participants to clues and they are then required to complete a series of hair-raising tasks, such as Fear Factor-type dares and entering a ‘haunted’ house. The team that completes all tasks without losing most of their nerve and in the shortest time, wins.
Where: Across Malaysia
Capacity: 20 to 500 people
Contact: Apxara Travel & Events; ivanlim@apxara.com
SCAVENGER HUNT TEAMBUILDING PROGRAMME
How it works: The traditional scavenger hunt gets updated by being conducted at Universal Studios Singapore, where teams will pound the streets of New York and comb the ancient pyramids of Egypt.
The three-hour Scavenger Hunt Teambuilding Programme is designed to incorporate most of the rides and attractions at the world-class theme park on Sentosa island. Placed in group, participants will solve quizzes by finding answers at specific spots in the park.
The activity can be shortened to suit group’s preference.
Where: Universal Studios Singapore
Capacity: Minimum 30 people
Contact: Universal Studios Singapore; (65) 6577 9977
SAIGON COOKING CLASS
How it works: The tantalising tastes of Vietnamese food are renowned across the world, so what better way to bond with colleagues than sampling the famous flavours of the country?
Saigon Cooking Class offers a range of food themed teambuilding exercises to whet the appetite and challenge the mind. An interesting exercise is the Street Food Secrets tour, which puts participants on the back of a scooter to follow expert chefs on a journey through the capital’s back alleys and markets to discover some of the best street food around. A blind tasting test is thrown in, challenging participants to identify a range of local ingredients and dishes – some more unusual than others. All activities are led by Vietnamese chefs and assistants who are fluent in English.
Where: Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
Capacity: 15 to 100 people
Contact: Saigon Cooking Class; i.briosca@saigoncookingclass.com
WIN IT IN A MINUTE
How it works: Inspired by the popular TV game show Minute to win it, Asia Ability Training’s Win It In A Minute is packed with fun and bizarre 60-second challenges that build team dynamics, raise morale and get participants to get to know each other outside of the usual work environment.
The challenges are fun and inclusive, and the open format ensures everybody is encouraged to join in comfortably without feeling any pressure to take centre stage.
Facilitators will also reveal additional challenges and bonus activities to allow teams to pick up extra points, keeping the energy high throughout the programme.
Win it in a minute is also suitable as a conference ice-breaker or a post-lunch energising activity.
Where: Indoor and outdoor locations worldwide
Capacity: At least 10 people
Contact: Asia Ability Training; ask@asiaability.com
BATTLESPACE
How it works: New to Sabre Corporate Development’s teambuilding portfolio is Battlespace, a military-style team activity, which begins with a commando raid during a meeting. Teams are transformed into a military unit, complete with camouflage uniforms. Each team member assumes various functional roles to plan and execute a complex operation with parallels to business unfolding in real time. Teams gather intelligence, plan their logistics and deploy combat air and ground assaults to complete their operation in accordance with both their overall vision and mission over three hours or a full day on request.
Where: Across Australia
Capacity: At least five people
Contact: Sabre Corporate Development; admin@sabrehq.com
SEARCH & RESCUE
How it works: A small VIP airplane has just crashed into the sea. Safety teams are many hours away but a small group of people happen to be nearby. How can they help? This is where teambuilding participants come in. After spending the morning carrying out underwater training with professional divers, including safety, dive theory, equipment handling and scuba techniques, the afternoon is spent on the rescue mission with the team split up to put to test the skills they have learnt. Accompanied by divers, the teams must communicate underwater to help rescue crash survivors in depths of up to six metres.
Where: Seaside resorts in Nha Trang, Vietnam
Capacity: Unlimited
Contact: Top Team Vietnam; info@topteam.co
BEAT THE BOX
How it works: The challenge begins with a mysterious and chilling video message that beckons participants into partaking in a game that requires them to crack a special code fast to stop the countdown.
To get this code, teams must solve four intriguing cases, whose details are hidden in locked aluminium boxes. The final case will unveil letters that when placed in the right order, will yield a predefined slogan and allow participants to crack the code.
The winning team is the one that stops the countdown first.
Where: Indoor locations worldwide
Capacity: 12 to 200 people
Contact: Asia Ability Training; ask@asiaability.com
economy travel providers is growing among corporates, most travel managers are still saying no to putting their travellers in Airbnb accommodation citing duty of care issues.
