Exclusive Interview with Joewin Tan, CEO of Huone Singapore

Our Parenting World Interview Series: Exclusive Interview with Joewin Tan, CEO of Huone Singapore

Our Parenting World team recently attended the launch of Huone Singapore which is the first-of-its-kind in Asia Pacific, Huone Singapore is an all-in-one events solutions provider for more-in-one business meetings and events. Using Huone’s unique online platform guests can book, design, pay, measure and manage their events. First incorporated in 2016, Huone Singapore is led by an event professional who has brought her events agency to great success in less than a decade.

Our Parenting World (OPW) team catched up with Joewin Tan, CEO of Huone Singapore. We are pleased to be able to interview and find out more about Joewin Tan (JT) and Huone Singapore.

1) OPW: Congratulations on the launch of Huone in Singapore! Can you share with us a little more about your background?

JT: I grew up in a humble family with 5 siblings. Growing up wasn’t easy. My father was the sole breadwinner and even simple things like soft drinks or a doughnut was a luxury. We never had toys and my best possessions were items I picked up from what my neighbours threw out. I always felt embarrassed about being poor and vouched to make it big. One dream of mine was to set up a supermarket so that my mother can take any groceries she wanted and we didn’t ever have to worry about food.

Fast-forward 20 years; I got my hands into event management during my internship with South West Community Development Council. After I completed my degree in Australia, I entered the corporate world. One fine day, I woke up telling myself, it’s now or never. I started Linear Dots Production, an event agency specialising in corporate events, and never looked back since.

2) OPW: What attracted you to the idea of setting up Huone in Singapore?

JT: Coming from the event industry myself, we always struggled to look for unique and creative spaces for events. I even witnessed some clients taking matters into their own hands by organising meetings at places like yachts but these places are not conducive for meetings. I met Evon through the introduction of PwC and what meant to be a simple coffee session at Starbucks turned out to be a very intensive 2-hour discussion and the result was our decision to partner one another to bring Huone to Singapore. I believe that there is a need for Huone in Singapore, the Top MICE City in the World 6 times in a row. Huone will make people fall in love with meetings all over again.

3) OPW: What are the joy and challenges that you faced while setting up Huone?

JT: The greatest joy has to be the creative process and seeing our ideas come to life during the construction phase while the greatest challenge was putting together a team that can execute our vision with us.

4) OPW: Tell us more about Huone, what can guests expect when they organise an event and when they visit Huone?

JT: Our creative environment stimulates conversations, encourages a more intimate setting and allow for flow of two-way conversations rather than a traditional lecture style. Our premise contains a total of 10 rooms and 1 igloo and coming to Huone is like stepping into the world of Narnia. Many guests have shared how the environment lifts their mood and encourages networking, be it at during meetings or during meals at our common dining area.

5) OPW: What are some of your favourite event rooms?

JT: Every room has got its own character but my favourite room has to be the Warehouse. Warehouse Room is inspired from the colonial days where many merchants stored spices and textiles in warehouses, exactly where Huone is located. I like this room because it has got so much character and the history behind it.

6) OPW: You have accomplished a lot at such a young age and an inspiration to many! What advice would you give to those who aspire to be like you, to be able to pursue their entrepreneurial dreams and set up their own business?

JT: Do not make money the end goal of why you want to be an entrepreneur. The truth is, the entrepreneurial journey is a daunting one that presents many obstacles. Do it only because you are passionate enough for something and you want to make a difference.

 

7) OPW: What are some of your favourite places of interests in Singapore that you would recommend to overseas guests?

JT: I am old school so it has to be our popular island resort Sentosa that has different attractions on a tiny island catered to people of all ages. You can easily spend a couple of days on the island to recharge, especially to get away from the hustle and bustle of city life.

8) OPW: How about local food, what’s your favourite?

JT: Chicken Rice (Delicious boneless Chicken Rice at Katong Shopping Centre to be specific).

9) OPW: We understand that you enjoying building with LEGO, what are some of your favourite LEGO sets?

JT: My favourite Lego set is the simple Ambulance set because that was my first set. I always had a thing for Lego since a very young age but it was only during my internship that I have enough to buy myself a set. Subsequently I bought many other bigger and better sets but the Ambulance set will always be my favourite.

10) OPW: Lastly, what are your plans for the future and Huone?

JT: In the next 2-3 years, we aim to have a total of 3 units in Singapore and we want to set up Huone in the Top MICE Cities within Asia Pacific such as Sydney, Shanghai and Hong Kong.

Thank you Joewin Tan for taking our interview!

All the above images credit to Huone Events Hotel Singapore

Evon Söderlund, Founder and CEO of Huone Events Hotel (L) and Joewin Tan, CEO of Huone Singapore (R).

Please click HERE to read our Exclusive Interview with Evon Söderlund, Founder and CEO of Huone Events Hotel.

All the above images credit to Huone Events Hotel Singapore

From L to R – The Ambassador of the Republic of Finland, Her Excellency Paula Parviainen, Jussi Söderlund, Evon Söderlund and Joewin Tan at Huone’s official launch in Singapore. 

We have earlier shared on the launch of Huone Singapore located at Clarke Quay, it is a Helskini-based event concept featuring 11 unique rooms with some rooms accumulating to a maximum capacity of 150 people. The rooms are suitable for seminars, conferences, board meetings, company retreats, brainstorming sessions, teambuilding, training sessions, marketing events and product launches.

Our Parenting World team highlights some of the interesting rooms as follows: 

Igloo meeting room is a relaxing room with a Northern Lights effect featuring sofa seating and a large private balcony. It can accommodate about 1 to 25 people.

This playful meeting room is called Swing which features swing-chairs suspended from the ceiling, a tree house and beanbags and can accommodate about 25 to 45 people. 

Nest meeting room can sit from 1 to 25 people. This is inspired by the bird nest, an incubator to inspire ideas, good for brainstorming sessions and more. 

Cloud meeting room good for 1 to 25 people with designs like kites, clouds, blue sky and more making you feel free and relax. This room is suitable for small conversational meetings and team meetings.

The Runway meeting room is inspired by the fashion runway good for 45 to 75 people. The room also comes with glowing chairs, chalkboard walls and table projection.

This unique greenery room is called Forest. The concept comes from the forest of Finland which is one of the largest meeting rooms that is good for 75 to 150 people. This room is inspired from one of the most surreal nature beauties in the world. It gives energy and promotes relaxation. 

This dramatic meeting room is called Theatre which is also one of the largest that is good for 75 to 150 people where participants can do showmanship to make an impact. You will feel like a star under the spotlight!

We always have our meetings either in the office building or hotels’ seminar rooms. It is interesting to know that we now have alternative options to conduct our meetings and trainings at Huone Singapore. Meetings need not be boring anymore, with so many unique rooms at Huone, you can find one that is suitable for you to conduct meetings, seminars, trainings, presentations and even parties. 

To learn more about Huone Singapore and to book your meeting room, please visit https://www.huone.events/sg/