But while growing up surrounded by fun rides was thrilling, it also had shortcomings. School holidays for her classmates meant family trips and vacations, but for Joyce, it was the opposite. “The holiday season is the peak period for the business, so it’s when [my father] is at his busiest. In fact, my father would be absent a lot because for one, my dad is a very hardworking man who dedicated himself to the success of Uncle Ringo.”

Having joined the family business 12 years ago (and also evidently inheriting her father’s work ethic), Joyce is determined to continue the success of Uncle Ringo to ensure that the “fun never ends”.

As the only child, Joyce knew that she would eventually take over her father’s business. However, it wasn’t a straightforward path to succession. To bring strong credentials and entrepreneurial skills to the table, her father encouraged her to “take on other roles [elsewhere first], which might be helpful for the business in the long run”.

Thus, she cut her teeth as a risk management consultant at accounting firm KPMG for six years, before joining the business. “My dad spoke to me and requested for me to join his business after [we faced] some changes in the industry that Uncle Ringo operated in,” Joyce recollects.

But being the daughter of the showman didn’t automatically earn her a key executive position in the company, she emphasises. She had to earn her stripes just like everyone else. “When I joined the business, my dad was adamant that I start from the bottom up. I’ve been through every file and rank there is in the business, starting at ticketing, ride maintenance, onsite operations, accounts and finance, and business development.”

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Taking over the reins of a flourishing business is never easy, and maintaining the reputation of a well-loved brand adds to the challenge.

“My parents do not necessarily put pressure on me per se. But inherently, by taking over the business that I’ve seen my dad slogged over for over three decades, I do feel some pressure to maintain the good reputation and name that my dad has established – albeit in a vastly different industry landscape,” says Joyce, on the obstacles that come with being a second-generation business owner.

There is also the challenge of taking the business to new heights. “Uncle Ringo as a brand is still going strong and we plan to keep running for a long time. We are freshening up a lot of our popular rides, and are also starting to add new rides and games to our repertoire to maintain our position as Singapore’s purveyor of fun.”

The family business has been operating for more than 30 years, and Joyce acknowledges the need to stay updated with trends and developments in order to be sustainable. “I have my own visions for the Uncle Ringo brand. My challenge is finding a way to continue taking the heritage brand to greater heights, and at the same time, create a new and refreshed approach to the business that will appeal to a new generation of thrill and entertainment seekers.”

For Joyce, her love for the business keeps her going. “The carnival scene in Singapore is a lot of fun to be in. We are always on the lookout for new acts, new shows, new rides, and now with travel restrictions relaxed, we can finally kick-start our research trips abroad as we start curating new shows to introduce to our shores.”

Of course, it’s not all fun and games, emphasises Joyce. The Covid-19 pandemic, for example, hit the business hard as entertainment activities were forced to come to standstill during the multiple lockdowns.

“The nature of work in the entertainment industry is volatile. Things are always changing and ever evolving, and when things don’t go as planned, especially during show days, we have to think on our feet. I would say it is as stressful as it is rewarding.

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One of the ways she is reinventing the brand is the introduction of Show Master, a new arm in the business that introduces premium circus acts. “With Uncle Ringo, I am proud of the heritage and reputation that my dad has built over the last three decades as the [original] purveyor of fun. Uncle Ringo’s image is one of nostalgia, which definitely still has a strong demand across generations, but we also understand that entertainment trends are changing,” she notes.

“There is a growing group of thrill-seekers who are increasingly well-heeled and always on the lookout for something exciting and of a different calibre. So in a bid to cater to this new group of audiences, we created Show Master to deliver more wholesome and upscale entertainment. Essentially, what we’re trying to achieve is to bring mass entertainment with Uncle Ringo, and maximum entertainment with the Show Master.”

One of the Show Master’s major acts this year is The Great Bay Fiesta at the Marina Bay Singapore Countdown 2023. Held from Dec 1, 2022 to Jan 1, 2023, the upcoming event boasts a giant carnival, circus acts, and a food fair. “It was definitely challenging to put together the show this year owing to the travel restrictions. For example, we were not able to do research trips to meet up with the teams we are engaging for the show but we managed to hold most of our discussions virtually. We had to also manage evolving travel guidelines when managing and coordinating with the artistes who will be flying from all over the world,” Joyce shares.

There are many acts to look forward to at the Marina Bay Singapore Countdown 2023, she reveals. This year’s line-up of carnival and circus acts is the largest thus far, and they will be introducing enthralling stunts such as acrobatics, gravity defying motorbikes, aerialists, contortionists and many more. There’s also The Great Food Festival, whereby participating food vendors will be offering up to 40 different food items to satisfy the hunger of carnival goers as they roam the festival grounds. “It’s been a long three year wait, and we can’t wait to be back with a bang as we celebrate the upcoming new year.”

This article was originally published on Her World.

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