Looking for quality assistance for your corporate events and conferences? Yearning to think out of the box and get something extraordinary?
A Scandinavian operator has a very interesting concept within this field! With a name that symbolizes energy, forward motion and nature the Event Management Company 8th Wave operates in Asia Pacific. This Singapore based company could provide the ideal solution for your next corporate event.
Kristina Gardin
Under the management of Kristina Gardin, 8th Wave is specialised in being a one-stop service for companies in delivering memorable experiences with ‘infinite possibilities’. Over 37 years of living and working in Asia has translated into a broad network, which means the company can offer maximum customization of events according to the client’s taste.
“We often produce exciting events which has a lot to do with that we have very intimate knowledge about the places where we do events,” says the Swede.
Within incentive trips and conference management they can manage all stages of an event in Asia Pacific, which usually involves creating something extra that becomes a value add for the client’s branding. These could include adding sustainability concepts or CSR to events, which can be included in the company annual report.
“We can bring in the concept of green events. This is finally coming to Asia. It has been very slow.” Kristina recognises.
“But it’s coming; a few certification companies are aggressively pushing this in Southeast Asia and really aiming at five star hotels where many are signing up. I think this is encouraging.”
Multinational clients
Until now, 8th Wave has mainly organized events for multinational companies such as Novartis, Hewlett Packard and Bank of America. The recent addition of Karl Safvelin, who has a business degree from Handelshögskolan in Stockholm and previously worked in the private banking industry in Sweden, is a move to reach more Scandinavian companies.
Clients groups coming from outside Asia are also increasing as the rumour is spreading about what this special event company is accomplishing.
“By having our regional network we are able to do these unique things. Some large marketing companies in Singapore outsource to me because they don’t have the capability to tailor-make offers to their clients,” explains Kristina.
Their events combine business conferences with meaningful fun activities, exotic experiences and inspiring locations. Though, it should be added, they try to avoid mass marketed features and places, focusing on providing a true and more genuine experience.
“The surroundings in Asia are beautiful; outside you have warm weather, nice beaches or rain forests and cultural activities to combine with the five star conferences. There is a lot one can offer.”
Events onboard yachts
Picture a dinner with traditional entertainment in a private temple on Bali or in Cambodia, or a branding event on board a yacht in the turquoise waters off Phuket. 8th Wave also recently started organizing events in conjunction with the annual Formula One Race in Singapore.
“We probably have the largest directory of yachts in the region for day cruising rentals. On yachts we do cocktail parties, launches and incentives. From Hong Kong and all the way down to Indonesia we offer the whole range of boats taking up to 200 people. So there we’re growing quite a lot. We are not only doing the charter but also offer the whole package [food, wine, transfers etc.] It’s a very interesting sector.”
When it comes to guiding a client about ideas and choosing any specific place accessibility plays a crucial part. Kristina explains:
“Attendants do not usually want more than one transfer. And very often when having a conference it’s rare that companies want to compromise on quality and comfort regarding the conference as such. Then you also have the security aspect and if too odd a place you will not have many flights.”
“There aren’t that many exciting destinations that are unexploited and at the same time has a combination of accessibility and security. Finding those rare places is one of our key strengths and there are options out there. One place I feel is coming up is for example Kota Kinabalu, West Malaysia”
As for the demand it is growing with the economy.
“The willingness to spend is back. It has loosened up a lot this past year and especially in the past six months it has really taken off. Take a thing like yacht cruises – there’s strong demand for that, which wasn’t the case before. Just the idea of spending money on something that could seem luxurious was just not on the map. But suddenly now it’s O.K.”
