Small corporate teams often have a different team-building problem from large groups: there is nowhere for people to disappear. With 8, 12 or 18 colleagues, every activity choice is more visible, every person has more influence on the atmosphere, and a format designed for 100 people can feel strangely empty when scaled down.
For small-group team building in Dublin, the strongest options are usually experiences where everyone has a meaningful role: sailing, treasure hunts, an immersive Murder Mystery, a creative social or a facilitated team-development session. The aim is not to cram more activities into the day. It is to choose a format that creates enough interaction without making the group feel over-managed.
This guide focuses on groups of roughly 8–20 people as a useful planning range, not a fixed Event Square booking rule. Exact suitability depends on the activity, venue, date and event brief.
What works differently with a small team?
Large events are often designed around movement, rotations and throughput. Small groups need less infrastructure but more attention to the quality of interaction. If an activity is too passive, people notice. If it is too structured, the day can feel like another workshop. If the competitive element is too intense, there are fewer people to soften it.
A useful small-group brief therefore starts with three questions: do you want a social day, a shared challenge or actual team development? How much time do you have? And do you want to stay in one place or use Dublin itself as part of the experience?
1. Dublin Bay Sail for a genuinely small crew
Dublin Bay Sail is one of the clearest examples of an activity that naturally suits a small group rather than being a scaled-down large event. The vessel is licensed for up to 12 passengers, with departures and returns from Dún Laoghaire Marina.
The team can take part in practical elements such as setting sails, helming, navigation, VHF communications and anchoring under professional supervision. It can run as a half-day or full-day experience, so it suits teams that want the activity itself to be the centre of the day rather than a short add-on.
For planners, the main considerations are weather, clothing, travel to Dún Laoghaire and how the sailing session connects to lunch or dinner. If you want to build a fuller coastal day, our guide to team building in Dún Laoghaire covers more options in the area.
2. Murder Mystery when you want the social event to do the team building
A Murder Mystery works well when the group wants an evening or dinner-led experience rather than an obvious “team-building session”. Event Square’s current formats cover groups from 10 upwards, with different stories suited to different group sizes.
The advantage for a smaller team is that people can stay inside one shared story. Guests take on characters, question suspects, follow clues and make accusations before the reveal. It creates conversation without requiring a large room full of activity stations.
It can also be brought to a suitable office, hotel or chosen venue, which is useful when the organiser wants dinner, drinks and the activity in one place.
3. Code Breaker Treasure Hunt for a low-tech Dublin social
For teams that want to get out of the office, the Code Breaker Treasure Hunt turns central Dublin into the activity space. Teams work from clue booklets, maps and decoders as they solve riddles and complete challenges around the city.
This is a particularly good fit for Event Square’s low-tech approach. The focus is on talking, observing, navigating and solving problems together rather than spending the event following a phone screen.
For a smaller group, the format can feel more like a shared city experience than a mass-participation event. The practical planning point is the start and finish: agree where people will be briefed, where the final scoring happens, and where the team is going afterwards.
4. Paint & Prosecco for a relaxed creative social
Paint & Prosecco is designed as a guided creative social and can be run for corporate groups at an office, suitable venue or online. It is useful when the team wants something sociable and low-pressure rather than physically competitive.
The painting gives the group a shared focus, but conversation can still happen naturally around it. That balance is often important for smaller teams, particularly where the event is partly a celebration, end-of-quarter get-together or sports-and-social outing.
The venue still matters. Check table layout, lighting, access to water where required, protection for surfaces and how food or drinks service will work around the activity.
5. Belbin when the goal is team development, not just a day out
If the real objective is communication, role clarity or understanding how the team works together, a facilitated development format may be more useful than a purely social activity. The Belbin® Experience combines individual and team profiles with facilitated feedback and experiential tasks.
That is a different brief from a staff social. It requires preparation and should be chosen because the organisation wants a structured team-development outcome, not because it simply needs an activity to fill two hours.
For a small team, the benefit is that everyone can be part of the same conversation rather than splitting into many separate groups.
Office, hotel or destination: which setting is best?
Small groups have more flexibility than large groups, but the venue should still follow the event objective.
An office is efficient if the activity needs to fit around the working day. A hotel is useful when the event includes a meeting, dinner or overnight stay. A destination-led format such as Dún Laoghaire or a Dublin city treasure hunt makes more sense when getting away from the normal workplace is part of the point.
If you are already using a hotel, see our guide to team building at hotels in Ireland. If you want the activity brought directly to work, our office team-building guide covers the practical issues around access, room setup and timing.
A simple half-day structure for a small group
Small teams rarely need a complicated running order. A useful half-day might start with a short arrival and briefing, move into one substantial shared activity, include a clear finish or debrief, and then leave time for food, coffee or drinks.
The temptation is to add a second and third activity because the group is small. That can make the day feel rushed. One well-chosen experience usually creates more conversation than several short activities stitched together.
Five planning mistakes to avoid
- Choosing an activity designed around large numbers and assuming it will automatically work for ten people.
- Making every minute structured. Small teams benefit from unprogrammed conversation time.
- Ignoring different confidence or physical-comfort levels because the group knows each other well.
- Underestimating travel and transition time between the office, activity and food or drinks.
- Choosing the activity before deciding whether the real objective is social connection, celebration or team development.
What should you send Event Square when asking for small-group ideas?
The useful information is simple: date, group size, preferred area, time available, whether the event is social or developmental, and what you want to happen before and after the activity. If you already have a venue, include it. If you do not, say whether you want city centre, coastal Dublin, Wicklow or another area.
For groups larger than this guide covers, see team-building ideas for groups of 20, 50 and 100 in Dublin.
Planning a small corporate team event in Dublin?
Event Square delivers low-tech, experiential corporate activities across Dublin, Wicklow and Ireland. For a small team, we would rather narrow the options around your group than send a long catalogue of activities. Contact Event Square with your date, numbers and preferred area and we can suggest formats that genuinely fit the group.
Frequently asked questions
What is a good team-building activity for 10 people in Dublin?
For around 10 people, look for formats where everyone has an active role. Depending on the brief, options can include Dublin Bay Sail, a city treasure hunt, a small-group Murder Mystery, a creative social or a facilitated development session.
Can Event Square run team building for fewer than 20 people?
Some Event Square experiences suit smaller groups, but the exact fit depends on the activity, venue and date. Send the group size before choosing a format so the programme can be checked properly.
Is a small team better in one group or split into teams?
It depends on the activity. Some experiences are stronger when the whole group works together; others benefit from two small teams and a light competitive element. The structure should support the objective rather than create competition for its own sake.
What works for a small team after work?
Compact social formats such as Murder Mystery, a treasure hunt, Paint & Prosecco or another hosted evening experience can fit well after work, provided the timing, venue and food or drinks plan are agreed in advance.
Do we need to leave Dublin city centre?
No. City treasure hunts, hotel-based activities, office activities and evening experiences can all be delivered in or around central Dublin where the venue and format are suitable.
What if our group is closer to 20 people?
At around 20 people, more formats become practical, including activities designed around multiple small teams. It is still worth choosing based on the event objective, venue and available time rather than group size alone.
