Virtual Trivia
Virtual Escape Room
Virtual Murder Mystery
Virtual Coworker Feud
Virtual Scavenger Hunt
Virtual Bingo
Cinco De Mayo
AAPI Heritage Month
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
Mental Health Awareness Month
Star Wars Day
Virtual Murder Mystery
Virtual Bingo
Virtual Icebreaker Games
Online Taboo
Virtual Cocktail & Mixology
Virtual Food Decorating
Virtual Tasting Experiences
Virtual Cooking Classes
Virtual Wellness Program
Guided Online Meditation Class
Virtual Yoga Class
Team Synergy Workshops
Virtual Paint Party
Virtual DIY Terrarium
Virtual Origami
Virtual Pottery
Virtual Marble Resin Class
At a Glance
With distributed teams spread across time zones and cultures, creating intentional moments of connection beyond day-to-day work is essential. Companies are recognizing that engagement doesn’t always have to revolve around large-scale events or annual townhalls. Personal celebrations like Valentine’s Day can be reimagined to create team experiences centered on connection and gratitude.
This was exactly the approach taken by John Wiley & Sons (Wiley), a global organization with a distributed team across multiple countries. They saw Valentine’s Day as an opportunity to move beyond its traditional focus on couples and create a more inclusive team experience. To bring this to life, Claudia Caçador Yiallourides, Technical Project Manager at Wiley, approached Hooray Teams to host a virtual experience that would resonate across regions
About Wiley
Wiley is one of the world’s leading academic publishing and knowledge services companies headquartered in Hoboken, New Jersey. With more than 200 years of experience, the company supports researchers, professionals, and learners through its scientific, technical, medical, and educational content. The company also focuses on continuous learning and research to help teams adapt and thrive in evolving industries.
With a workforce of over 5,000 employees across North America, Europe, Asia, and beyond, Wiley operates across diverse time zones and cultures. Creating engaging, inclusive experiences that bring this global team together remains a key priority.
The Challenge
Wiley set out to celebrate Valentine’s Day with their global workforce in a way that felt inclusive and meaningful for everyone involved. However, bringing together over 200 employees spread across the United States, Europe, and the Middle East requires careful planning. Beyond just participation, the goal was to create a shared space where attendees could actively interact and feel genuinely connected in real time.
Coordinating the shipment of kits across multiple countries and ensuring timely delivery added a key logistical challenge. At the same time, the experience needed to translate seamlessly across eight countries, accounting for cross-cultural norms and communication styles.
Having previously partnered with Hooray Teams, the team sought to elevate the experience with something fresh, engaging, and universally appealing. A chocolate-themed experience emerged as a natural choice, something familiar, enjoyable, and easy for participants across regions to connect with.
The Solution: A Virtual Chocolate Experience That Everyone Could Enjoy
Hooray Teams planned and hosted a virtual Brigadeiros chocolate tasting experience for Wiley’s global team.
Each participant received a curated tasting kit in advance, making it easy to join from anywhere in the world. During the session, a live host guided the team through tasting four to five handcrafted, world-famous Brigadeiros, creating a shared, interactive experience across locations.
As part of the event, participants decorated their chocolates with sprinkles and toppings, adding a hands-on element that encouraged interaction. The host also shared insights into the origins and flavor profiles of each chocolate.
This is how the experience was put together:
Planning & Global Coordination
We have coordinated with distribution partners across 8 countries to ensure the seamless delivery of high-quality Brazilian Brigadeiros chocolate-tasting kits with premium packaging.
Expert-Led Hosting
The experience was led by an expert Brazilian host who guided participants through the tasting and brought credibility and depth to the session with insights into chocolate origins and flavor profiles.
100% Customization
The experience was tailored to accommodate dietary needs, including vegan and other dietary preferences, with options such as coconut-based Brigadeiros.
Inclusive Experience
Hooray Teams leveraged its expertise in global virtual events to design a relaxed, easy-to-follow format that made cross-cultural interaction feel natural as teams enjoyed the tasting together.
The Result?
For Claudia and her team, what made the experience engaging was how Valentine’s Day was transformed from a traditionally personal holiday into a team-first celebration. They were particularly impressed with the quality and presentation of the chocolate kits, noting that it elevated the overall experience. They also highlighted the timely delivery of kits across multiple countries, which ensured everyone could join without friction.
The interactive elements, like guided tasting and chocolate decorating with sprinkles, kept the session fun and engaging. Most importantly, the team valued how the experience brought together employees from different regions and created genuine moments of connection across cultures.
Claudia also pointed out a few things she particularly appreciated during the process:
“The clear communication and quick responses from Hooray Teams stood out, especially in addressing questions and issues ahead of the event. I was also really impressed by the professionalism and quality of the chocolate-tasting kits. The packaging was excellent and made the experience feel extra special.” – Claudia Caçador Yiallourides, John Wiley & Sons (Wiley)
Ready to Elevate Your Team Building Game? If you’re looking for creative ways to bring your remote team together, let’s talk. We’d love to help you craft something just as memorable!
