Building team spirit...

The Winter Olympics has arrived, complete with snow and thrilling rides like snowtubing, snowboarding and skiing. This scene is enacted in a city of less than a 2-hour flight from Jakarta, on the sunny island of Singapore.

Snow City is but one of the venues in Singapore offering innovative team-building activities to corporate groups of various sizes.

A 3,000 square metres center with facilities spread over 2 stories, Snow City offers winter sport activities and a cool venue for corporate team-building activities.

In addition to competing in the "Winter Olympics", your corporate high fliers can also engage in a "Snowy Treasure Hunt" and both activities incorporate team-building elements and a ton of fun. Customized packages -- jackets and boots included - are offered to corporate groups seeking to engage their teams in a team-building session in the snow.

Increasingly, corporate groups going on meetings and incentive travel seek to include a team-building component in their program, to fulfill their objectives of fostering interaction among team members to boost morale and to equip them with leadership and communication skills for better performance and to meet business goals.

Other "edutainment" team-building activities Singapore offers for corporate groups include paintball, a non-contact and action- packed game where team players need to work closely together and in the process, learn the importance of teamwork and gain self- confidence while developing leadership skills. Culinary adventures have also become popular team-building activities.

Crossfire Paintball is one of Singapore's paintball venues and provides a specially sculptured field with challenging obstacles such as the maze, flying fox and castle. A novel way to develop cohesion among team members, players will have a fun time strategizing their next move.

Culinary adventures abound at Singapore's renowned culinary schools such as the Raffles Culinary Academy, at sunrice Academy and Coriander Leaf.

Besides engaging in bonding sessions, corporate groups can also learn the secrets of using tropical herbs and spices with food. For example, at-sunrice is a culinary center that is dedicated to promoting pan-Asian cuisine, culinary skills and craftware and offers tried & tested recipes for successful team- building, including a cooking lessons followed by a friendly culinary competition.

The possibilities for team-building activities are endless in Singapore. A variety of outdoor and indoor venues, coupled with the experience and professionalism of solution providers in Singapore will ensure that you have a program catered for the requirements of your corporate group.

The rustic and relatively untouched surroundings of Pulau Ubin island allows your corporate group to enjoy a nature hike in its luscious greenery, before proceeding for a corporate team- building experience of games and challenges offered by the Outward Bound Adventure Academy. Beach games and a dragon-boating competition can also be easily organized on the resort island of Sentosa.

From the peaceful sanctuary of a tropical spa to the pulsating nightlife found in the clubs along Clarke Quay and Mohamed Sultan, a myriad of leisure activities await you in Singapore.

Add to this our excellent airline connectivity, multilingual environment, world-class meetings facilities and a range of hotels to suit your budget and preferences.

Unique venues for gala dinners or corporate functions include The Arts House at the Old Parliament (a 177 year-old colonial building that formerly housed the Singapore Court House) and Merlion Park for a view of the riverfront. Start the day with a refreshing tai-chi session at the Singapore Botanic Gardens and end off with an exotic experience, the "wild theme" dinner at the Night Safari that will certainly wow your high fliers.

"The proximity of Singapore to Indonesia, the dynamic business environment as well as Singapore's unique blend of multicultural and modern experiences all make the city a conducive location to hold your corporate meeting or incentive trip. Singapore understands your business needs and the range of team-building experiences for your corporate event will motivate your top employees to foster closer team spirit and perform even better," said Lee Kai Yin, Deputy Director, ASEAN (Islands).

There is no better time to hold your corporate meeting or incentive trip in Singapore, with the "Make It Singapore PLUS" special package of assistance and incentives including complimentary hotel rooms, special rates for venue rentals, airline rebates and financial support for bidding, marketing and promotion costs.

Your business event has to be confirmed for Singapore by the end of June 2006 and held before the end of 2007.

For more information on organizing a business event in Singapore, email us at makeitsingapore@stb.com.sg or visit our website at visitsingapore.com/mice.