Swapping desks, countries and perspectives: the Pico Play Employee Exchange Program

At Pico Play, being a global team means more than working across different offices and time zones. It means learning from each other, experiencing different cultures and understanding how our Fun-Makers work around the world.

That thinking is at the heart of the Pico Play Employee Exchange Program (PPEEP), created to encourage cross-office learning and stronger connections between our international teams.

More than simply visiting another office, PPEEP gives our people the opportunity to step into another team’s world, meet colleagues face-to-face, experience a new culture and see our industry from a different perspective.

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Gold Coast meets Kuala Lumpur

The latest chapter of PPEEP brought a new twist to the program.

Ivana Piakura, Attraction Designer from Gold Coast, Australia, and Wen Ying Lee, Technical Designer from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, swapped locations for a week, stepping into each other’s working worlds and experiencing life with another Pico Play team.

For Wen Ying, the exchange was “a wonderful mix of professional learning, new connections and exploring the Gold Coast,” giving her new perspectives and a memorable experience.

Ivana came away with a similar sense of connection and inspiration. “Experiencing Malaysia and Singapore, collaborating with colleagues and seeing firsthand the attractions Pico Play has helped bring to life gave me valuable insight into the impact of our work beyond the design studio,” she said. “I returned with fresh inspiration, stronger connections and a broader perspective to carry into future projects.”

Working from another office turns connections once built through emails and Teams conversations into more personal relationships, creating opportunities to exchange ideas and understand how colleagues approach their work.

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Experiencing the world behind our work

PPEEP isn’t only about the office. Exploring a different city, discovering local culture and visiting attractions all help our Fun-Makers better understand the places where their colleagues live and work.

For a company working in themed entertainment, experiencing attractions as a guest can also provide valuable inspiration and a fresh perspective on the details, stories and environments that create memorable experiences.

That combination of work, travel, culture and connection is what makes PPEEP special.

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Bringing the experience home

Ivana and Wen Ying later shared their experiences with the wider Pico Play team during an Experiences Around the World session, covering cultural insights, lessons, surprises and personal highlights.

In this way, the exchange becomes something the wider team can learn from too.

PPEEP reflects the reality that although Pico Play’s Fun-Makers are spread across different countries, we are working towards the same goal. It creates opportunities to learn from each other, build stronger relationships and understand our global team beyond our own offices.

For Ivana and Wen Ying, that meant two countries, two offices and a week experiencing Pico Play from someone else’s perspective.

Sometimes, all it takes is swapping desks to see the world, and your work, a little differently.

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