(SINGAPORE) You're planning a corporate event but are tired of that typical hotel setting in which one gig seems pretty much like any other. In any case, the hotels that you approach have their booking schedules packed. And you want your guests to go back talking of an experience that is something out of the ordinary.
You're not alone. Some companies are bypassing the template for corporate events in favour of the offbeat. From pirate-themed parties aboard Chinese junks to breaking bread with a penguin - everything goes, it seems.
The Singapore Zoo and Night Safari are becoming venues of choice for gala dinners and team-building sessions, says Natt Haniff, their senior executive for corporate communications.
The Jurong BirdPark now hosts more than one corporate event a week - from just 21 in all of 2006-07 to 66 events to-date in 2007-08 and going strong. Staff from BP, Tuas Power and Visa have been serenaded by birds there.
'Many are looking for a colourful and scenic venue which is different in its setting,' says Pamela Wildheart, senior manager of sales and corporate affairs for Jurong BirdPark Singapore.
The corporate events, which contribute about 5 per cent to monthly revenue, can vary in scale between a party for a hundred and a full-on event for thousands.
Events at Jurong BirdPark generally cost between $70 and $350 per person without GST. Additional requirements can see prices climbing to $500 per head. Such 'twists' to the programme in the past have ranged from a private bird show - something different from the daily presentation - to flying in an internationally renowned artiste. 'Also, a special menu suited to a more demanding gourmet-savvy clientele can really add on to the cost of the event,' says Ms Wildheart.
There's also the chance to rub shoulders with 'celebrity' birds like the yellow-naped Amazon Amigo, which sings in several languages and can also count. Dinner with Penguins starts at $150 per person and guests can take pictures with star penguin Pinky, which 'has a natural flair for public relations'.
Of course, with the great outdoors there's always a cloud on the horizon and guests are warned of the possibility of bad weather. An alternative venue has to be lined up in case it rains.
Another favourite is The Arts House at the Old Parliament, which opened in 2004 and makes 30 per cent of its space available for corporate and private functions. SingTel, Microsoft, Edelman and Disney have all soaked in the atmosphere there.
Hospitality packages start at $1,500 for 40 people and bookings must generally be made four to six months in advance. The venue has some compelling attractions, says Tan Tee Tong, director of arts enterprise for The Arts House. The former Parliament House (the names of eminent personalities who have graced the chambers are inscribed on the seats) is now a key creative space for Singapore artists. 'It inherently gives a different perspective and adds an aura of brand credibility and spirit of creativity and trendsetting,' says Mr Tan.
Likewise, the National Museum of Singapore has been the venue of choice for more than 70 corporate functions to date, with 10 more bookings till year-end. Events held at the museum so far include Credit Suisse's 150th Anniversary, receptions for the International Monetary Fund and World Bank delegates organised by UBS as well as fashion shows and a car launch.
For a four-hour block, companies can expect to be charged between $1,000 and $4,000 for a seminar room or the function hall. While the price tag does not include meals, the museum has a preferred list of caterers - ranging from mid-range outfits like Purple Sage and Catering Network to the high-end kitchens at the Pan Pacific and Ritz-Carlton hotels.
Citibank Singapore is among the outfits that have turned to non-traditional venues - such as the Asian Civilisation Museum and Singapore Arts Museum - for company events. 'Besides hotel ballrooms for larger events like our annual dinner and dances, we also hold smaller and more intimate staff events at venues that include the museums, Botanical Gardens, specialist restaurants and the Esplanade,' says Adam Abdur Rahman, country corporate affairs director for Citibank Singapore.
Welcome to the jungle: The Singapore Zoo and Night Safari are becoming venues of choice for gala dinners
Advertising agency TBWA Group Singapore, which clinched the Resorts World at Sentosa and Singapore Airlines accounts this year, is another that treads the offbeat track. 'Any place can be made into a venue with imagination,' says Dan Paris, managing director of TBWA Group Singapore, speaking of pirate-themed parties aboard Chinese junks and company events at Sentosa beach bar Km8. While hotels are a reasonable choice, there may be constraints in terms of pricing and timing, he explains.
'If a venue is open to ideas, we'll all have a better time. It's a good way of getting people to bond and let their hair down,' he says.
Hotels, of course, remain the staple choice. Guests have been reserving function rooms at St Regis Hotel - which is still being built - 'before they even get to see the actual venue', says Wong Wye Leng, the hotel's director of marketing communications.
At other perennial favourites, more demand and another buoyant year mean that rates could shoot up. At Marina Mandarin Singapore, a corporate dinner currently costs upwards of $650++ per table.
However, Stella Gillera, director for sales and marketing of the Mandarin Oriental Singapore, emphasises that while there has been an annual rate increase subject to market trends, Singapore still remains reasonably priced in comparison to other countries in Asia.
And now, the hotels will have to compete with songbirds and penguins for the corporate expense dollar.
