Today OutdoorInAsia is actually a group of compaies under the name OIA and most of their business is organizing corporate events in the form of meetings, conferences, incentive trips. When OutdoorInAsia was created it was meant to be an outdoor travel center specializing on sports and adventures.
How then was sports’ development in Singapore and why had OutdoorInAsia chosen to focus on sports and adventure?
Despite the passion that animated us as founders, launching a commercial venture focusing on sports and adventure was a new thing and a bit of a challenge. There were no or few businesses looking at sports except Retail outlets like world of sports that was launched in the early nineties.
In fact among all people, Singaporean can be qualified in various ways – from kiasu to successful and wealthy, orderly, smart, can-do people, food lovers etc… But one thing an European, American or Australian wouldn’t really think of is “sporty”. As a matter of fact, a quick fact-finding inquiry will soon reveal that a typical Singaporean hardly know how to swim and won’t be comfortable with water, is not too confident about biking and will be extremely careful if doing so – worrying about braking, gears, speeding, coming to an halt… The high prevalence of fall in the slope of the defunct “Thai temple” in Pulau Ubin is testimony to the challenges of cycling for many Singaporean.
While these 2 activities – cycling and swimming - are mainstream in the West and often pre-requisite to any social activities – from school to friends and holidays – here in Singapore and 10 years back they were not something most would enjoy. Sports has never been big in Singapore and Singaporeans generally speaking have not been very sports centered. They may be competitive when it comes to business but not so for sports (as opposed to the Australians). In fact MM Lee Kuan Yew relates in his memoirs that he gave up rowing in Oxford when he realized that it inferred waking early even in winter for a rowing session in short and singlet in the freezing air.
Ludovic Odier
OIA events – Liberating the Spirit of corporate Adventure
