5 Strategic Planning Event Ideas for Your Leadership Team in Ireland

Many Irish leadership teams invest time and budget into strategy days yet often leave without real alignment or clear outcomes. Too many sessions become long PowerPoint marathons that fail to inspire senior leaders. If this sounds familiar, you are not alone. Our blog on Death by PowerPoint explains why traditional formats fall short and how to keep teams energised.

The result is misaligned priorities, slow decision making, and strategies that never move off the page. For Irish companies that is a costly missed opportunity.

The good news is there is a better way. With the right team training activities your leadership planning events can be engaging, collaborative, and designed to deliver real results. Here are five proven formats.

1. Cake Factory

If your strategy days risk becoming too theoretical, Cake Factory brings planning to life. Leaders must run a production line where every choice affects speed, quality, and output. It is lively, collaborative, and a powerful reminder that strategy means nothing without execution.

Why it works for leadership planning

Cake Factory forces leaders to prioritise, delegate, and adapt quickly. The pressure of real time decision making mirrors the challenges executives face in business. Teams leave with a sharper understanding of how small choices shape larger results.

2. Detour

Change is constant for Irish businesses. Detour drops your leadership team into a shifting environment where plans evolve and leaders must adjust quickly. It is engaging, sometimes frustrating, and always thought-provoking.

Why it works for leadership planning

Leaders learn to manage uncertainty, make decisions with incomplete information, and align quickly when direction shifts. Detour surfaces how your senior team reacts to disruption and highlights where communication gaps exist.

3. Dome Works

Dome Works is a hands-on, collaborative build where leaders design and construct a large dome. It is practical, physical, and a clear metaphor for building a business strategy piece by piece.

Why it works for leadership planning

This activity demonstrates the importance of planning, delegation, and cross-functional collaboration. Leaders must communicate clearly, share resources, and see the bigger picture if the dome is to stand. It reveals strengths and gaps in how your team works together.

4. Before Mars

Before Mars challenges leaders with a mission-critical simulation where every choice shapes success or failure. It is intense, analytical, and perfectly suited for exploring long-term strategy in a high-stakes setting.

Why it works for leadership planning

The simulation tests foresight, risk assessment, and collaboration under pressure. Leaders must align on priorities, allocate resources, and think beyond the immediate outcome. The parallels to corporate decision making are immediate and powerful.

5. Code Crackers

Code Crackers brings creativity and energy to strategy sessions. Leaders tackle puzzles and codes that demand collaboration and fresh thinking. It is engaging, playful, and sharpens mental agility at exactly the moment fatigue sets in.

Why it works for leadership planning

The activity pushes leaders out of routine thinking, helping them approach challenges in new ways. It builds resilience, encourages innovative problem solving, and re-energises the group.

Looking for something lighter?

If your leadership team would benefit from a more relaxed approach, explore our Leadership and Executive Team Building Events in Ireland. These programmes balance fun with connection and are a great fit for executive away days that focus on building trust and relationships.

Conclusion:

Strategic planning does not have to be another day lost to slides. By weaving in leadership team training activities in Ireland you will align leaders, strengthen collaboration, and turn plans into action.

At Dynamic Events we deliver facilitated team training formats across Ireland from Dublin and Cork to Galway and Belfast. Explore Before Mars, Detour, Dome Works, Cake Factory, and Code Crackers to design your next leadership planning session.

Ready to plan a leadership event that delivers real outcomes?

Contact us today