Whoever said Singapore was boring? You just got to look in the right places! Avenues like 22 Experience shakes things up a little for the intrepid activity seeker in Singapore. Each month, a unique combination of activities is released on the 22nd. Treasure hunt in Pulau Ubin, participate in a live version of a table soccer game, body zorbing competition – sign us up please!

Peatix goes behind the scenes with the founder of 22 Experience, Ellen Goel. We sip our coffees and we talk, as we bask under the warmth of the sunlit café nestled in the heart of Tiong Bahru.

Up Close and Personal

What’s the wackiest experience you’ve had in your life?

I’ve travelled through a jungle in Belize, South of Mexico, for three days with a group of six friends. We bathed in a river inhabited by snakes, that’s wacky.

On 22 Experience, it’ll have to be body zorbing! It’s like being wrapped within a doughnut. I tend to go for sporty activities and that’s kind of reflected in the events organised on 22 Experience.

Sneak Pea-k! into 22 Experience

22 Experience, I have to ask, why 22?

22 stands for light and revelation. So on the 22nd of each month, we reveal new events for the following month.

What sparked the notion of creating a platform for unique experiences in Singapore?

Two reasons – firstly because I want to do cool things in Singapore. Most of my local friends ask me why I love Singapore so much and they say it’s such a small and boring country with nothing much to do but I beg to differ. Then I thought to myself that maybe it’s difficult to find interesting things to do in Singapore. With that in mind plus our limited capacity to travel during the year, I thought I could bring the excitement to the locals and provide something interesting to do here that’s out of one’s normal routine!

Second reason was because I found it difficult to organise and gather a group of friends who could commit to an activity so having pre-signups increase the likelihood of commitment.

What sorts of experiences are on offer?

Typical reactions that we get for experiences we organise are, “Really you can do that?” or “What’s Parkour? Never heard of it”. It’s these sorts of unique, hands-on and affordable experiences that one can take part in. Ultimately, come with an open mind and step out of your comfort zone to experience and learn something new, even something new about yourself. We’ve had people sign up for rock climbing and have gone on to become a certified and regular rockclimber! We love these stories.

How do you come up with these awesome concepts and ultimately eventuate it into an event?

Conceptualisation of our events comes in two parts – Firstly, my team is very good in searching on Google for ideas. Secondly, we mash ideas from our research, create the event, receive feedback from attendees and shape it accordingly for future events. Events range from the genre of sports, food, kids, arts, music and non-profit activities.

There’s also a closed Facebook group we call mavens (i.e. fans) who’s participated in our events at least twice with 10 other friends who’s liked our public Facebook page. It’s a great community where we brainstorm ideas for future events! I’d love to do a travelling event one day, perhaps a weekend trip up to Ipoh.

Are there any challenges you might face in planning for the myriad of activities on 22 Experience?

Getting people to commit is challenging. It’s not difficult but it’s time consuming. We need to follow-up and send reminder emails. It’s also tough to strike a balance between offering new and previous concepts as we seek to have events for both regulars and those new to 22 Experience.

What keeps you going?

There’s always something to do! It’s tough keeping track. Plus, people enjoy what we offer and meeting them brings me joy too. Many previous attendees are now personal friends.

Also, who gets to go for wakeboarding and call that working? All part of my “job”, I love it and sometimes it gets tricky trying to define between work and hobby.

Are there any pointers you’d like to offer to other organisers to conceptualise interesting things?

Speaking with your attendees is the most important thing – don’t tell them what they should do but let them tell you! Interact with them at the event and find out what they want.

One other pointer, be open and transparent in dealing with partners or vendors, especially in conflict or miscommunication. Everyone makes mistakes, learn to forgive each other.

When Any time after the 22nd each month Where All over Singapore Entry Average ticket costs $30 but varies depending on the activity

Open to all 25-35 year olds or anyone who works hard and plays hard! For the full list of activities organised by 22 Experience, click here or like 22 Experience on Facebook to keep up to date!

Image Credits: 22 Experience