Change It Up
Take a trip down memory lane to 14th century Singapura to experience the unique practice of bartering
A snapshot of the activities characteristics on how it may impact your team
Building team resilience through historical crisis
Step back into 14th-century Singapore with an immersive bartering challenge that tests your team’s ability to survive and thrive within a volatile social hierarchy. Divided into factions with varying levels of influence, participants must navigate historical crises like famine and disease by forging strategic alliances and mastering the art of the “win-win” negotiation. This high-stakes simulation hones collaborative problem-solving and change management, forcing teams to pivot their strategies to turn environmental threats into profitable opportunities. It is a powerful lesson in resourcefulness and long-term partnership, proving that a team’s resilience and adaptability are the true keys to building a rags-to-riches legacy.
Moments from the Change It Up experience
Teams trading their way through old Singapore
Program details
With the world switching to cashless transactions, it is almost unimaginable how our ancestors did friendly bartering. Take a trip down memory lane to 14th century Singapura to experience this unique practice. But with a twist, of course, participants will be split into different factions with the aim to survive and thrive in the tough times.
At the beginning of Change It Up, participants will be split into different factions of social classes and will play different roles in society. Each of them will have varying levels of influence. Some of the participants may be laborers who worked on the rubber plantations with the necessary skills to produce rubber and latex products and a few others may roleplay as merchants who traded tools.
During the gameplay, the facilitator will introduce external factors which would threaten the survival of factions, and these include disease outbreaks and famine, which are adapted from cases that happened in Singapore. Think of ways to help your faction endure these hardships, it may be creation of alliances and researching on special items. Your eventual aim is to make the most profits and control the kingdom.
Will your team be able to write a rags-to-riches story and transform every crises into an opportunity? Check out Change It Up today!
Looking for more ideas that work indoors? Browse all our indoor team building activities in Singapore.
We have plenty more where this came from. Browse all 40 team building activities we run in Singapore.
Activity Specifications
| Format | Indoor |
| Duration | Up to 3 hours |
| Group Size | 10 to 500 pax |
| Suitability | Suitable for all age groups and genders |
| Delivery | Physical |
Frequently Asked Questions, answered
What happens in Change It Up?
Teams are dropped into 14th century Singapore (simulation) and have to trade their way to a profit, managing shifting factions and a series of crises that change the rules partway through.
What does it actually teach?
How a team reacts when the ground moves. Because the conditions change mid-game, the teams that do well are the ones that notice early and adapt rather than defend the plan they arrived with.
Is it competitive?
Yes, but it’s negotiation rather than a race. Teams have to read the other side and make themselves understood to get anywhere, which is where most of the fun comes from.
Who does it suit?
Teams heading into change, or ones that have just been through some. The bartering is genuinely enjoyable on its own, and the parallel tends to come up by itself afterwards.
Can we run it in our own office, or do we need a venue?
Surely can, tell us your headcount and the room you have in mind and we’ll confirm it fits. If not, we can propose a venue.
