Category: Corporates
Tribe is not just a tour company. We offer event planning services for corporate clients as well. Many of our clients are corporations and educational institutions such as schools and universities who come to us for customized events and tours. Among our clients are Hermes, Ren Ci Hospital, Community Centers and IEEM. We are your go-to people when you need something different or novel from the usual corporate events and team building activities. Meet the people in the team who are experts in putting your event together seamlessly and without any “stress” on your part.
Be honest, until you were tasked to organise them, you had never found team-building activities, family days, corporate events or orientations much fun. But now you’re in charge, you want to make yours the talk of the town or, at least, the buzz in the office.
Well, your compatriots in company events – those in Marketing or HR – have a well-kept secret that we’re going to share with you. They didn’t go it alone. And (good news), you don’t have to either.
One of the toughest things about any company event is that it has to be different from the one before, yet continue to engage and delight.
“They don’t want another trip to a local attraction or theme park,” says Jason Loe, Chief of Chiefs (Tribe’s charming moniker for the guides) at Tribe Tours.
“Our clients tell us that adventure team games are trite and even those once-novel cooking classes have become overdone.”
On an island as small as this, can there really be anything that new anymore?
That’s where Tribe’s unique ability to find the exciting in the everyday comes in. Take its Wet Market Tour. We don’t think much of wet markets. We don’t even consider them particularly necessary anymore, not when we can shop at supermarkets. Yet, in Tribe’s artful hands, this visage of local life becomes a delightful chance for cultural immersion.
“This tour is a total sensory experience. You can see, touch and smell the local ingredients that are used in some of the most beloved Singapore dishes. You can soak in the atmosphere and sounds of the ladies doing their marketing the old-fashioned way – the haggling, the raw energy – it’s quite exciting,” says Cheong Yoke Chun, the Chief in charge of this tour.
So passionate is Yoke about the tour, she takes it upon herself to ensure you get the full experience. Don’t be surprised when she whips out a cooler and treats you to her own concoction – homemade lemongrass drink – after the wet market tour.
“After looking at and smelling the fresh produce, it’s nice to taste them as well,” smiles Yoke.
That’s the other thing about Tribe tours. There’s always food.
“Food is such an integral part of Singapore culture. We learn so much from the tastes of the country,” says Yoke.
So, its Housing History Tour ends with a visit to not one but two actual HBD homes and bowls of local desserts made by the homeowners themselves.
“This tour is great for orientation for foreign hires or foreign visitors who want an authentic Singapore experience. You get to talk to the homeowners, find out trivia like why you can’t keep cats as pets in HDB flats and see that what looks like boring uniformity on the outside can be a study in contrast when you see how the homeowners decorate their homes differently.”
That’s what sets Tribe apart from the hoi polloi – that ability to take all the sights, sounds, smells, feel and taste of Singapore that we take for granted and turn them into insightful escapades.
“We excel in gems of knowledge and fun facts,” says Jason.
Tribe’s skill in taking the mundane and infusing it with amazement comes to the fore with their Road to Water Independence. You’ll never look at that glass of clean water straight from the tap quite the same after you’ve been on the tour that walks you through the nation’s effort to attain water self-sufficiency.
“At the end of these tours, you don’t just have fun, you discover something about Singapore that goes beneath the surface. It’s educational and entertaining,” says Jason.
Tribe is able to value-add to many local experiences because of the vast insider knowledge their Chiefs have amassed.
“Our Chiefs are story-tellers, comedians, historians, entertainers, coordinators all rolled into one. They are the reason our guests feel such connection during our tours because they are masters at linking place to people.
Each is so passionate they are continually adding to the experience so that our tours are constantly evolving,” shares Jason.
So, if you expect your event to trump last year’s, you will not be disappointed with Tribe. Its tours are truly one of a kind, like the About Mr Lee Tour. Debuting around the one-year anniversary of the death of the late founding Prime Minister of Singapore, Mr Lee Kuan Yew, in April 2016, this tour is a labour of love that took the team months of scouring literature and walking the ground to piece together.
“About Mr Lee takes you behind the public figure that was Mr Lee to the man he was. It takes you to his childhood home, lets you taste his favourite food, gives you a chance to sit in his seat at the old Parliament House. It’s the chance to walk where he walked.
Along the way, we tell you stories about him as a child, give you insights into how he likes his beer and what it was like growing up in Lee Kuan Yew’s Singapore in the 1970s,” enthuses Jason.
All these come from the Chiefs’ research and, more importantly, personal experiences with Mr Lee. Facts you can get from any readings, but stories that show you the humanity behind the politician, these are Tribe trademarks.
Inroads into and connections with little-known experiences and dying trades are also how Tribe is able to take you where few have gone. The Roti and Kopi Factory Tour is one fine example. The trip to a traditional local bakery and a coffee roasting factory is the result of patiently cultivating rapport with these artisan craftsmen.
“We took months persuading the man at the coffee roasting factory to let us take groups in. He was very reluctant. And even when he agreed, he was quite reticent. Now, after working with us for some time, he’s more open to sharing about his trade.
We developed a relationship over time. That’s how we can take you behind-the-scenes where others can’t,” says Jason.
Adding to the flavor of Tribe’s tours are the craftsmen themselves, like the lady who shares her skills at the Popiah Making Tour.
“Instead of talking for craftsmen, we create the space for the guests to engage them. That’s how the tour comes alive. And the popiah auntie, she is quite the character. You have to meet her to find out,” laughs Jason.
It’s this personal touch that makes Tribe able to curate experiences just for you. And that’s probably the most challenging of demands when organising any corporate activity – that everybody needs to have fun. Everyone.
“You have this one activity that has to appeal across ages, genders and personal interests because the people in the office are so different,” says Jason.
“What we do is listen to your needs and customise the event for you. You don’t have to take our regular tours wholesale, you can pick and choose what works for you.”
From the moment they take your first exploratory call to the time they wave good-bye to you, the same Tribe Chief is there.
“Many are surprised when I turn up at the event because they think we specialise – the one who takes the booking is different from the one who runs the tour. But we don’t work like that. From the get go, you get one person taking care of you,” explains Jason.
When confronted with large groups that number into the hundreds, Tribe goes the extra mile to make sure no man is left behind.
“We offer different tours for the big group so people can pick what they like and everyone is happy,” says Jason.
For tours for kids, Tribe is mindful of even the tiniest of details.
“We take into account their short attention span and cut short the explanations to accommodate them. We also make sure they don’t have to walk for long distances because we know they tire more easily. It’s all these things that make the total experience more enjoyable,” says Yoke.
What Tribe’s clients enjoy as well is the flexibility that the Chiefs offers.
“Sometimes, as we go along, someone will mention that they want to try a certain food. We will try to find it within our tour route so they can taste the food. This is only possible because our Chiefs know their tour areas so well. They aren’t afraid to go off script, so to speak,” says Jason.
The beauty of these tours is that it can fit just about any company outing – Family Day, team-building, orientation.
“We take you out of the daily routine and you get to mix with people in your company in a relaxed environment with everything taken care of. There’s learning, there’re stories, there’s plenty of eating. It’s great for bonding. And you come away from it all with a richer experience,” says Jason.
To contact Tribe, call +65 6463 1031 or send an email to hello@tribe-tours.com. Visit our website at www.tribe-tours.com.
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