Team building for pharma, biopharma and medtech teams works best when it reflects the way people actually work: across functions, sites, disciplines and levels of seniority. The objective may be onboarding, stronger communication, a company-wide social day, leadership development or simply giving people who normally meet through projects and systems time to interact face to face.
Ireland has a substantial life sciences base across biopharma and medical technology. IDA Ireland currently reports more than 90 pharmaceutical companies in Ireland and more than 300 medtech companies. That scale means there is no single “pharma team” profile: a programme for a small leadership group is very different from one for graduates, technical teams, commercial functions or a large site-based workforce.
What should a pharma or life sciences team event achieve?
Before choosing an activity, decide what success looks like. A useful brief usually falls into one of four categories:
- Connection: helping people from different functions or locations get to know each other properly.
- Onboarding: giving graduates or new hires a shared experience early in their time with the organisation.
- Development: working on communication, leadership, team roles or decision-making.
- Celebration: creating a well-run company day that is social first and does not pretend to be a workshop.
Trying to make one event do all four at once usually weakens it. A clear objective makes it easier to choose the right format, venue and duration.
Low-tech formats that work for technical teams
Many life sciences workplaces are highly technical. That does not mean the team event needs more technology. In fact, removing screens can be useful when the purpose is to get people communicating in a different way.
Collaborative problem-solving
Big Picture gives different teams responsibility for separate parts of one shared result. The value is in the coordination: people have to communicate across boundaries rather than only completing their own task.
Fast, varied team challenges
Beat the Clock uses a series of short practical challenges. It can suit mixed groups because success is not based on one specialist skill. Different tasks reward different strengths, which helps prevent the same two confident people from dominating every round.
Cross-cultural team interaction
For multinational or globally connected groups, Around the World Challenge uses themed challenge stations to create a broad, social team format. The emphasis is on participation and variety rather than detailed cultural knowledge.
Team development with a clearer framework
Where the day has a developmental purpose, The Belbin Experience can help teams explore how different people contribute. For graduate cohorts, Graduate Grow is designed around communication, confidence and working effectively as a new group.
Planning across functions, levels and sites
Life sciences organisations often bring together people with very different day-to-day roles. A company event may include operations, quality, engineering, R&D, HR, finance, commercial teams and leadership. The activity should not assume everyone has the same physical confidence, technical background or social style.
From an event-design point of view, variety matters. A programme with communication, observation, problem-solving and light physical elements gives more people a genuine route into the experience. It also keeps the event from turning into a sports day unless that is specifically what the group wants.
How much time should you allow?
The right duration depends on where the activity sits in the wider day. If it follows a conference or all-hands meeting, a focused 60–120 minute session may be enough. For a dedicated away day, a longer programme can include breaks, lunch and a second format.
Do not underestimate setup, room changes and movement between spaces. If the meeting ends at 15:00 and dinner starts at 18:00, the usable activity window is not automatically three hours. Build in the transition time and the event will feel much more relaxed.
Venue choice matters more than the activity brochure
For hotel-based programmes, check ceiling height, clear floor area, access times and whether furniture can be moved. For outdoor formats, check usable ground, access, weather exposure and the venue’s restrictions. For office-based events, consider noise, breakout space and whether the activity needs to coexist with people still working nearby.
Our guide to corporate team building at hotels in Ireland covers the practical details that are worth checking before you commit to a format.
Team building for graduates and early-career talent
Graduate cohorts are a distinct use case. New hires may be joining from different universities, countries and disciplines, and they may be expected to build internal networks quickly. A shared experiential session can give them an easier way to start those relationships than another presentation.
The strongest graduate programmes combine structured interaction with enough informality for people to talk naturally. If onboarding is the main objective, a programme such as Graduate Grow is a better fit than simply choosing the most competitive activity on the list. You can also read our guide to graduate onboarding in Ireland.
Leadership and cross-functional teams
Senior and cross-functional teams usually benefit from a different tone. The activity should create useful interaction without feeling like a forced icebreaker. A collaborative challenge can work well because it gives the group something concrete to solve together before any debrief or discussion.
If the objective is to explore team roles more deliberately, Belbin can provide a clearer framework. If the goal is simply to reset relationships after a busy period, a lighter shared challenge may be enough.
Large site or company-wide events
For larger groups, the main operational issue is flow. Registration, team allocation, rotation, breaks, catering and the final finish all need to work at the same scale as the activity itself. Multi-team formats are generally easier to manage than trying to put everyone through one challenge at the same time.
Our large group team building guide explains how group size changes staffing, space, timing and programme design.
What Event Square already offers for life sciences groups
Event Square has a dedicated Pharma & Life Sciences Corporate Events page showing the types of programmes that can be built for this sector. The starting point is still the practical brief: group size, date, location, available time, venue and the outcome you want from the event.
The aim is not to impose an “industry-themed” activity. It is to choose a format that suits the people in the room and the reason they have been brought together.
Frequently asked questions about pharma team building in Ireland
Can Event Square bring activities to a pharma or medtech site?
Potentially, yes. Event Square is mobile and can bring activities to suitable offices and venues around Ireland. The available space, access arrangements and site requirements need to be checked before recommending a format.
What works for mixed technical and non-technical teams?
Varied challenge formats usually work well because they do not depend on one specialist skill. A combination of communication, observation, practical problem-solving and light physical tasks gives different personalities and roles a chance to contribute.
Can team building be added to a conference or town hall?
Yes. Shorter challenge formats can sit after a meeting or conference session, provided there is enough setup time and suitable space. For a tightly scheduled agenda, it is better to run a focused session well than squeeze in too much.
Do you offer programmes for graduate cohorts?
Yes. Graduate Grow is specifically designed around graduate onboarding and development, while other team formats can be used for more social cohort days.
Can you work with teams in different parts of Ireland?
Yes. Event Square delivers mobile corporate events around Ireland. If colleagues are travelling from several sites, share those locations early so the venue and timetable can be planned around realistic travel.
Plan a life sciences team event
For a useful first recommendation, send the basics: group size, date, location, venue if known, activity window and the reason for the event. From there, Event Square can suggest a format that fits the team rather than forcing a generic package onto the brief.
Contact Event Square or explore our corporate team building in Ireland options.
