How CCEP Brought Teams Together Across Europe
In this Virtual Christmas Escape Case Study, we helped The People & Culture Business partners from CCEP close off the year in a fun and memorable way.
Client: Coca-Cola Europacific Partners (CCEP)
Event: Escape the North Pole – Virtual Festive Escape Game
Audience: People & Culture / HR Partners
Group Size: 35 participants
Format: Fully virtual | Cross-country teams
As the year drew to a close, Coca-Cola Europacific Partners wanted to do something meaningful for their People & Culture community.
This wasn’t just about hosting another online get-together. The aim was to thank their HR and people partners for a successful year, while creating a fun, energising experience that would genuinely connect people across countries, cultures, and time zones.
With participants joining from Poland, Germany, the UK, France, Manila and other european countries, the solution needed to be fully virtual, easy to access, and designed around collaboration.
If you’re planning something similar, explore our full guide to virtual Christmas party ideas for more festive inspiration.
The Brief:
A Festive Thank You with real Impact
CCEP’s end-of-year session already included important updates, recognition moments, and plans for the year ahead. What they wanted from us was something different — an interactive experience that would shift the energy and give people space to relax, connect, and work together.
The brief was clear:
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Create a shared festive moment
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Encourage cross-border collaboration
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Avoid another passive online session
- End the year on a genuine high
The Solution:
Escape The North Pole
For this Virtual Christmas Escape Case Study, CCEP chose Escape the North Pole, our festive virtual escape game where teams work their way through Santa’s workshop, solving puzzles and cracking clues to save Christmas.
Participants joined a shared video call so they could communicate naturally with their teammates, then used their own devices to take part in the challenge via our app. No extra kits, no complex setup — just instant access and immediate immersion.
This format is inspired by our virtual escape room team building games, where teams work together to solve puzzles and beat the clock.
The experience was built to be:
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Story-driven and light-hearted
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Collaborative rather than presentation-led
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Inclusive for international teams
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Easy to slot into an existing agenda
The Experience:
Collaboration in Action
CCEP opened the session internally with introductions, key updates, and end-of-year acknowledgements.
Once it was time for the activity, our host joined the call and delivered an energetic briefing — setting the festive scene, explaining the rules, and getting everyone ready for what lay ahead.
From there:
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Participants were randomly placed into teams of five
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Each team was sent into their own breakout room
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Teams had 45 minutes to escape Santa’s workshop
- Success depended entirely on communication, teamwork, and problem-solving
Because teams were mixed across countries and functions, people were collaborating with colleagues they had never worked with before — immediately breaking down silos.
The Result:
Energy, Connection & Shared Wins
Some teams escaped with minutes to spare.
Some didn’t make it out in time.
Every team was fully invested.
When the breakout rooms closed, the main call filled with laughter, comparisons, and good-natured rivalry as the final standings were revealed.
What stood out most were the human moments:
- Team members crediting each other’s strengths
- Players laughing about near-misses and breakthroughs
- Participants commenting on how quickly the time flew byp
- People discovering new sides of colleagues they’d never seen before
Because teams were randomly assigned across borders, the experience created connections that simply wouldn’t happen in day-to-day working life.
Why this Virtual Christmas Escape Game Worked
This event worked because it balanced festive fun with meaningful interaction.
Instead of ending the year with another passive online session, CCEP gave their people partners a shared challenge — something that required communication, creativity, and trust.
The result was not just entertainment, but:
- Stronger cross-team connection
- Natural conversation and collaboration
- A memorable way to close the year together
Final Thoughts:
Virtual events are most powerful when they’re designed as experiences, not placeholders.
This Virtual Christmas Escape Case Study shows how story-driven, interactive formats can transform end-of-year sessions into moments that people genuinely remember — even when teams are spread across continents.
If you’re planning an end-of-year celebration, this pairs perfectly with ideas from our Virtual Christmas Party Ideas guide, or can be used as a longer-form alternative to shorter Icebreakers for Online Meetings.
