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| MICA’s
innovation extravaganza |
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| Ms
Paolina (9th left) taught MICA
staff how to sashay to Latin music. |
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The Ministry
of Information, Communications and the Arts (MICA)
wowed its staff and guests from external agencies
recently when it revamped its WITS Convention and
Innovation Fiesta. More than 1,000 people participated
in the MICA Innovation Fiesta 2004 with the theme
“Make an Amazing Difference”. The highlights
of the launch event were, for many, voting for their
favourite project team, playing games and signing
up for innovation courses in a giant maze!
Mention “WITS Convention” to any public
officer and chances are many will cite a sit-down
affair with well-rehearsed presentations and intense
judging.
Well, this was far from what the National Arts Council
(NAC) had in mind when they were appointed lead
agency for this year’s MICA WITS Convention.
Deciding that it would be an interactive event,
NAC took the bold step to spearhead a change and
combined the annual WITS event with the MICA Innovation
Fiesta.
Ms Carol Tan, Deputy CEO of NAC, led the organising
committee which comprised officers from the various
MICA agencies.
The cross-agency team packed an opening ceremony,
a two-day roadshow and a wide range of innovation
courses in the event which lasted from 24 August
to 8 September.
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| Heartbeat
Percussion Group made music out of ordinary
items. |
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The Innovation Fiesta was launched with a big bang
at the MICA Artrium on 24 August.
The effervescent Mr Gene Tan, Programme Director
of the National Library Board (NLB), was the emcee.
He interviewed guest of honour Dr Tan Chin Nam,
Permanent Secretary of MICA, and local inventor
Alvin Lee in a talkshow format.
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| Mr
Gene Tan from NLB wowed the audience
at the opening ceremony. |
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The two candidly shared their thoughts on innovation,
and Mr Lee related how he had invented a sandcastle
kit called “Beachworks” which is sold
worldwide.
An interactive percussion group also put up a lively
performance.
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| Dr
Tan (right) visiting the NHB archaeology
corner. |
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| Local
cakes were made on the spot! |
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Another highlight was the giant maze at the MICA
Artrium. Participants could hardly contain their
excitement when the maze finally opened, featuring
a roadshow of their colleagues’ project ideas
as well as innovation courses.
Many weaved in and out of the maze, hunting for
their favourite projects. They saw how ideas worked,
signed up for innovation courses and voted for their
favourite projects.
That was not all. After submitting their votes,
all participants were given an unusual door gift
of local cakes made on the spot. The maze was indeed
a refreshing treat for both the body and mind!
The maze was also a visual feast. The project members
put in much effort to create impressive visual displays
at their booths. Many participants remember the
makeshift digging site for the National Heritage
Board’s (NHB) archaeology course, the dartboards
for voters to relieve stress put up by Media Development
Authority (MDA) staff, and more quirky sights at
NAC’s haiku booth.
After all the excitement at the maze, the innovation
courses went into full swing.
These courses were specially designed for MICA staff
as they provided insights on how the arts could
be used to foster creativity. Some of the courses
were even taught by versatile staff from the MICA
family!
For example, Ms Paolina Martin, a specialist in
knowledge management from NLB, not only taught MICA
staff how to sashay to Latin rhythms but also taught
them how to choreograph a dance in one session!
At the close of the MICA Innovation Fiesta, the
votes submitted at the maze were tallied and the
top three project teams had an informal interview
session with MICA’s senior management staff.
From there, the team from MDA was chosen to represent
MICA at the PS21 ExCEL Convention.
Rejoicing in the win was team member Ms Debbie Yeo,
Senior Management Executive, who said, “There
was much competition and the fact that our team
stood out is a testament to our teamwork!”
Perhaps what she said rings true for the MICA Innovation
Fiesta 2004 too. What made the event such a success
was good teamwork from everyone in MICA, who also
constantly kept the end goals in mind.
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| The
MICA family having fun enacting scenes
from their own comic script. |
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By Glenda Heng, NAC
Next: Make a
Difference — the spirit of ExCEL |
