Looking for a corporate activity that gets colleagues outdoors without turning the day into a fitness test? Archery, laser clay pigeon shooting and axe throwing offer a different kind of team challenge: short turns, clear targets, friendly scoring and conversation between attempts. For an Irish company away day, the choice of venue and layout of the activity area matter as much as the games themselves.
At a glance: Event Square’s Country Pursuits offering combines instructor-led target activities, with archery, laser clays and axe throwing among the advertised options. The current product describes an approximately two-hour programme featuring clays and archery, with individual disciplines also available as standalone options. The actual mix, staffing, location and timings must be agreed for the group and suitable site.
What does a corporate Country Pursuits event involve?
Country pursuits are hosted outdoor challenges inspired by traditional target sports, adapted for company groups who may have little previous experience. Teams take turns at supervised stations, encourage colleagues and compare their results. The format can be light-hearted or more competitive, depending on the brief.
It can suit a rural hotel gathering, leadership away day, departmental outing or a meeting that needs a practical activity after lunch. The goal is not to find the strongest athlete. A well-run event gives people time to listen to an instructor, try something unfamiliar and enjoy a shared experience without spending most of the programme in queues.
The activity is deliberately people-led. A laser clay system uses electronic scoring, but the social part is still physical participation, instruction, friendly encouragement and conversation — rather than another phone-based team challenge.
Archery, laser clays or axe throwing: which works for your team?
Archery: focus, patience and personal progress
Archery offers a clear sequence for beginners: receive a briefing, take a supervised turn, then adjust as you learn. It can appeal to people who enjoy concentration and improvement without needing to move around a large course. Allow enough time for individual turns and a sensible waiting area, not simply a crowd gathered behind the shooting line.
The necessary space is greater than the visible row of targets. The provider must assess the shooting direction, areas beyond and beside the range, site access and ground conditions. Do not assume a hotel lawn is automatically suitable because it looks large in a brochure.
Laser clay shooting: team competition without live cartridges
Laser clay pigeon shooting uses a laser-based system and scored moving targets rather than firing live cartridges. Event Square has published information about its own laser-clay equipment, which was supported through the LEADER Programme. The result is a shooting-style challenge without confusing it with traditional live-ammunition clay shooting.
Laser clays and live clay pigeon shooting are different activities. Laser equipment still needs supervision, suitable space and agreed operating conditions. Traditional clay shooting requires separate specialist equipment and arrangements, and should never be assumed available at the same hotel or field.
Because turns can be relatively short, laser clays can add pace to a rotating team challenge. The number of rounds each person gets depends on the system, staffing, headcount and total time; check it in the proposal rather than relying on a generic package photograph.
Axe throwing: an unusual option with extra site checks
Axe throwing offers a contrasting target challenge. It must have an appropriately managed throwing zone and clear separation between participants, spectators and the active lane. Some venues may permit archery but not axe throwing, so do not add it to a proposal before confirming the exact site.
It can be better to offer two well-run activities than three squeezed into a field without adequate space or supervision. Ask Event Square to recommend the mix that fits the venue and actual group.
What is included in Event Square’s Country Pursuits package?
The current Country Pursuits product page lists event planning, venue sourcing support, expert-led tuition, an approximately two-hour clays-and-archery programme and prize giving. It also identifies axe throwing and individual target activities as options.
This is a starting specification, not a promise that every group receives every discipline. Food, drinks and transport are not included automatically. Venue hire and other event services should be clearly identified in the written proposal. If you need a particular number of stations, specific instructors or a longer activity window, raise that in the first brief.
Can mobile target sports come to a hotel or private estate?
Potentially, but only once the site and permitted activities are assessed. Mobile delivery does not mean archery or axe throwing can be put on any patch of grass. The venue must approve the disciplines and the activity provider must be satisfied with the actual usable space, boundaries, ground and access arrangements.
Ask the venue for more than the total acreage of its grounds. Some areas may be reserved for other guests, gardens, pathways, vehicle traffic or separate functions. Agree the specific event footprint instead of a vague promise to use “the lawn”.
- Boundaries and space: an appropriate defined activity area for each discipline, with others kept clear.
- Ground: conditions suitable for participants, facilitators and equipment, including wet-weather effects.
- Supplier access: a safe, practical route for unloading and removing equipment without conflicting with guest arrivals.
- Venue permission: agreement to the actual activities, event hours and any restrictions on equipment or the site.
- Guest facilities: toilets, water, shelter, accessible routes and a suitable briefing location.
- Contingency: an agreed weather review, a decision-maker and a realistic alternative if the outdoor session cannot run.
When the venue is also hosting a meeting or wedding, check whether the activity site overlaps with catering access, photography areas or another booked function.
How should a two-hour session be structured?
Separate the two hours of guest participation from the supplier’s total access time. Preparing the activity lanes, checking conditions, briefing staff and clearing the area are operational requirements outside the guest-facing programme.
As an illustrative running order, allow an initial welcome and instruction period, then hosted activity blocks with a short changeover between stations, and a shared final scoring or prize-giving moment. The precise split should be designed around the group and number of disciplines — not imposed as a universal timetable.
A small executive group may appreciate longer turns and more time for conversation. A large workforce may need additional stations, staggered participation or a longer event so that queues do not become the main activity. Even with the same equipment, twelve people and a hundred people need different plans.
Irish weather, daylight and site safety
A sunny forecast at the time of enquiry does not make an outdoor event weatherproof. Wind, rain, slippery ground and poor visibility can affect whether a discipline remains suitable. In autumn and winter, there also needs to be adequate daylight for guest participation, safe setup and breakdown. A programme that fits easily into a June afternoon may be impractical at the same clock time in November.
Agree who makes the weather decision and what happens if conditions rule out a station. An indoor conference room is not automatically a safe substitute for target sports. Where necessary, an entirely different indoor collaborative challenge may be a more sensible fallback — but it needs to be scoped and agreed in advance.
In its 5 June 2026 outdoor-events announcement, Ireland’s Health and Safety Authority highlighted safe equipment use, contractor supervision, traffic management and the setup/breakdown phase of event work. That inspection campaign concerned major outdoor events, not ordinary small company activities; the underlying lesson to clarify access and responsibilities is still valuable when applied proportionately.
How do you make target sports inclusive?
Not every guest will want to shoot or throw, and colleagues can differ in mobility, strength, confidence and comfort with competition. A good event gives people time to hear instructions, understand their options and participate at an appropriate level. Organisers can discuss meaningful alternatives such as observation, strategy or scoring when an individual discipline is unsuitable.
Some groups enjoy a simple team leaderboard, while others respond better to a relaxed format that celebrates individual improvement. Agree the atmosphere with the host. A company social should not become a public test of anybody’s fitness or confidence.
Share accessibility requirements before the event so the provider can consider the surfaces, waiting arrangements, movement routes and each activity. Do not assume every target discipline is suitable for every guest without assessment.
Where in Ireland can you run Country Pursuits?
Event Square describes the offering as a mobile programme for suitable locations around Ireland. For Dublin-based teams, a countryside venue in the wider Dublin, Wicklow, Kildare or Meath area may be worth examining. For regional or all-Ireland staff groups, it could make more sense to add the session to an existing hotel meeting elsewhere in the country.
None of those suggestions confirms a particular hotel’s permission or availability. The right venue is the one with an approved activity footprint, workable supplier access and travel arrangements that suit the group. If participants are coming from several offices, weigh the time together against the time they will spend on the road.
How can Country Pursuits fit a company away day?
Target sports can be a self-contained outdoor session, an afternoon after meetings or part of a larger staff gathering ending with food. If you want relaxed activity zones instead of formal rotations, compare Event Square’s Corporate Summer Garden Party. For nostalgic races and cooperative team games rather than targets, see Old School Sports Day.
For a festive shooting theme, Event Square separately lists a Christmas Turkey Shoot. Read its individual specification rather than assuming it is identical to mobile laser clays. Our outdoor team-building guide provides wider help with weather, participant numbers and site choice.
When comparing quotations, check the exact disciplines, guest-facing duration, staffing, instruction, equipment, venue requirements, access window, contingency and extra costs. That creates a fairer comparison than a list of activity names alone.
Corporate Country Pursuits FAQs
Which target sports does Event Square offer?
Its Country Pursuits package advertises archery and laser clay shooting, with axe throwing also available as an option. Individual disciplines may be discussed separately, subject to suitability.
How long is the Country Pursuits programme?
The published package describes approximately two hours of activity with clays and archery. Setup, equipment checks and breakdown need their own access time.
Is laser clay shooting the same as live clay pigeon shooting?
No. Laser clays use a laser-based scoring system rather than live cartridges. Traditional clay shooting is a separate activity with specialist requirements.
Can you bring archery or axe throwing to our company premises?
It may be possible, but a site assessment and venue permission are necessary. The provider must be satisfied with boundaries, usable space, ground conditions and access.
Do staff need previous experience?
Country Pursuits includes expert-led tuition and can be considered for people with mixed experience. Each participant’s suitability for the chosen activity still matters.
Can we book target sports in autumn or winter?
Potentially, provided daylight, weather, ground and venue conditions allow it. A different activity may be required if conditions are unsuitable.
Are meals, transport or accommodation included?
Not automatically. They should be listed separately unless expressly included in the written proposal.
What details are needed for a quotation?
Send the preferred date, headcount, location, proposed activity window, disciplines of interest, site details if available and any participation or accessibility requirements.
Plan a corporate Country Pursuits event with Event Square
Tell us who is coming, where they are travelling from and whether you want a gentle first-time experience or a lively scored challenge. We can discuss the suitable activities, venue requirements and what needs to be confirmed before booking. Explore Country Pursuits or send Event Square your event brief.
