GermanFest 2015 Coming Soon!

Welkommen to the second annual GermanFest, Minnesota’s largest German cultural event held at the historic Schmidt Brewery in St. Paul, June 19-21, 2015!

This event is free and open to the public starting with Friday night Gemütlichkeit from 4pm to 10pm. Gemutlichkeit means merriment, fun or happiness and is the theme of Friday night at GermanFest. The night will be filled with German food, beer and a live band sure to entertain you for hours.

Bring your friends and family on Saturday from 10am to 10pm and experience a day filled with food, great beer, entertainment, music, family friendly games, arts and crafts, cultural exhibits and much more.

On Sunday from 10am to 5pm, come enjoy good food, a friendly libation, and a chance to hang out with family and friends. GermanFest will surely have something for everyone.

FILO and Serving Our Troops Team-Up

Serving Our Troops and FILO have teamed up for the 9th Annual Hockey Day Minnesota. FILO was hired as the production company to assist in the set-up, overall event management, VIP services and the implementation of a fun interactive Fan Zone.

On January 17th, 2015, the puck will drop on the tarmac at Saint Paul’s Holman Field on an unprecedented sheet of ice – with the sights and sounds of the Minnesota National Guard standing side by side with our players and our communities.

Across the ocean – linked via live video – Minnesota soldiers from the 34th Combat Aviation Brigade and the 2-147th Assault Helicopter Battalion will be a part of Hockey Day, with NHL Alumni and other leaders on hand in Kuwait – sitting side by side with our soldiers as they watch high school, Gopher, and Minnesota Wild hockey action. With Fox Sports broadcasting live to over 40 million households, Hockey Day promises to be a truly special weekend.

Serving Our Troops continues to be one of the most unique projects in the nation. Hockey Day Minnesota 2015 will be the first event of its kind, continuing the tradition of Hockey Day while supporting our young people, our soldiers and families, and hockey in Minnesota.

Team FILO's Newest Member!

Please help us welcome Linda DeRoode to the FILO Productions team!

Linda is proud to be hired by FILO Productions Inc. as the new Director of Festivals. She brings many years of large scale event planning to her position at FILO. Her primary duties will be Directing GermanFest, held at the historic Schmidt Brewery site in St. Paul and assisting in the management of a 1-day Jewish heritage festival, held in Boston, MA. Her goal is to make FILO a household name.

Her passion for events started early, as she was raised in a family that organized the Festival of Nations, a heritage festival celebrating thousands of Nations across the world in Minnesota. She was hired as the Festival of Nations Education Outreach Coordinator. This position had her working with over three hundred schools from the five state region and the over twenty thousand school teachers and children that attended the event for two days. She was hired as the Director of the Festival of Nations in 2013 and successfully produced the 2014 event.

She was approached by the Italian community and asked to create and Direct Minnesota’s first authentic Italian Festival. She worked for over a year with a core team of individuals to bring about the successful production of Festa Italiana MN held on Harriet Island in St. Paul. She successfully produced two Festas’ and now she is again working with the core team to manage the event through FILO. This event was Linda’s proudest moment in her Directing career.

Linda also produces an Oktoberfest for her church, St. James Lutheran Church, in West St. Paul.

Linda is married to David and they have two children: Emma Rose, who is a freshman at the University of North Dakota and a son Theodore, who is a Freshman at Minnetonka High School. Their third child is their dog GoGo. They live in Minnetonka.

To relax she plays cello in the Mississippi Valley Orchestra which she has played in for 30 years. She also loves to travel and has been to many countries including Germany, where she has family.

Minnesota Wild Home Opener

Hockey season is back! FILO Productions teamed up again with the Minnesota Wild for the opening night pregame party outside the Xcel Energy Center on Kellogg Blvd. The FILO crew setup a photo booth, hockey shooting inflatable, plinko game and prize table.

The event was free for fans to come cheer on the Wild, participate in games and go home with prizes and a photo as fun mementos to remember opening night. Winners at each contest were given great prizes that included: a bobble head of Zach Parise, Jonas Brodin, Ryan Suter or Jason Pominville, a Minnesota Wild scarf or a t-shirt.

The Minnesota Wild played against the Colorado Avalanche, who they battled in the first round of the 2014 playoffs. The fans energy and excitement in the Xcel Energy Center that night was matched on the ice and the Wild opened the season with a 5-0 shutout against the Avas! What a great way to celebrate opening night in the “State of Hockey.” Go Wild!

FILO Opens Event Rentals Division

FILO Productions is happy to introduce our rental service that is now available and up on the website www.filoproductions.com. We have a variety of event rentals that would be great for everything from local, small-scale parties to large-scale events and festivals!

The event rentals include a hockey inflatable, a baseball hitting inflatable and a baseball pitching inflatable. Each inflatable can be branded specifically to showcase your event or party. We also have several photo opportunities available, including a photo booth, custom overlay photo tablets and a stationary photo opp. Each photo opportunity is a great way to engage fans or guests, and provides a great takeaway for attendees, while incorporating social media sharing. The photo booth, tablets and photo opp can each be custom branded to your event or party. FILO’s rentals also include Plinko, 1600 square feet of staging and 1600 square feet of black flooring.

Please contact Kristen Blumberg, the Director of New Business at Kristen@callfilo.com for details and pricing.

FILO Completes NBA Canada Tour

The National Basketball Association (NBA) and FILO have just completed The NBA Nation Tour Presented by Samsung. NBA Nation traveled across Canada to five different cities and malls in August and September.

Our first stop was near Vancouver, BC at the Metropolis at Metrotown. Fans flooded the mall for a chance to see Eric Gordon form the New Orleans Pelicans and to participate in various activations that included the Larry O'Brien Championship Trophy.

Fans of all ages were treated to many on court games, free prizing and the Skullcandy lounge. The Skullcandy lounge offered fans a VIP like atmosphere where they could interact with the latest headphones from Skullcandy, play the latest version of the NBA 2K14 basketball video game, and watch highlights of last seasons top plays.

FILO Productions Inc. sent two members of its team to travel with the tour all around Canada. While on tour they played an integral role in the overall operations and programming for the run of show. FILO’s job duties included: crafting detailed truck packs, arranging trucking logistics, and onsite consulting throughout set-up and strike execution.

The NBA Nation Tour Presented by Samsung ran through September 15th, making stops in Edmonton, AB, Montreal, QC, Halifax, NS and concluding in Toronto, ON.

Cavaliers and FILO Team-Up On Draft Night!

On Saturday, June 26th FILO Productions and the Cleveland Cavaliers teamed up to put on an NBA Draft party in celebration of the Cavaliers first overall pick. The Cavaliers treated their fans to a night of fun, topped off with the live announcement of their selection, an on court free throw shooting contest and a live broadcast of the NBA Draft for all to watch.

FILO provided several different interactive elements, including the sling shot jam which was their center piece and was of course the fan favorite.

The event was a huge hit with Cleveland fans, as they were able to enjoy the evening and celebrate, as they selected Andrew Wiggins from the University of Kansas with the first overall selection in the 2014 NBA Draft. Over 10,000 people came out to celebrate and enjoy the night's activities. In the end, FILO and the Cleveland Cavaliers were able to put on a tremendously successful event that will have fans hoping for the first overall pick every year.

MLB International and FILO Create Roadshow Tour in Canada

Major League Baseball promotes the game of baseball around the globe, through a number of initiatives including MLB Roadshows. The MLB Roadshow is an interactive fan experience that celebrates the sport and allows fans to test their skills in the fundamentals of the game. The event has previously been to 13 countries on four continents including Australia, China, the Czech Republic, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Japan, Mexico, the Netherlands, Portugal, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. In 2014, Major League Baseball and FILO teamed up to take the MLB Roadshow Tour to a 14th country; Canada.

Major League Baseball International and FILO managed a traveling experiential tour that reached three provinces across Canada in a 3-week span. Activations included a custom batting cage, a “Race to the Base” sliding interactive that allowed fans to test their speed against the clock (or a friend), a custom pitching cage to test their pitch speed, an emcee, DJ with music, free give-a-ways, and even a virtual Home Run Derby competition.

Sponsors for the MLB Roadshow Tour included Majestic, who sponsored the sliding interactive and Majestic Relay Race where youngsters competed in a race while dressed in oversized Majestic gear; Sony PlayStation, who sponsored the video game tent and held the virtual Home Run Derby competitions around their “MLB 14: The Show” video game; New Era, who sponsored a custom baseball cap tent that allowed fans access to free photos from a custom designed photo booth, while wearing their favorite team’s official New Era baseball cap, and other local retailers like Jersey City and Lids.


The MLB Roadshow Tour partnered with Cadillac Fairview, one of North America’s largest owners, operators and developers of commercial real estate, to bring the MLB Roadshow to three malls across Canada in Richmond (Vancouver), Winnipeg and Pointe-Claire (Montreal).

While FILO has worked with Major League Baseball before at one-off events, this Tour marked the first time the two groups have worked together for a traveling mobile-marketing tour. FILO’s duties included procuring and securing all new elements for the Tour, full set-up and strike duties at each stop, providing labor, event staff and a FILO emcee, as well as producing all signage and working out all operational logistics with each individual mall property.

The MLB Roadshow Tour reached thousands of fans across Canada and created a memorable, exciting and original experience that will help grow the game of baseball.

Major League Baseball International and FILO are currently in talks to help bring the MLB Roadshow Tour to other countries across the world, in an attempt to spread the game of baseball globally.

FOX Sports and FILO Work Together Again!

Over the past eight years, FILO Productions, Inc. has collectively worked with a FOX Sports affiliate on more than seven events or activations. 2014 marked a very special year for FOX Sports North and FILO, as the 2014 MLB All-Star festivities came to Minnesota and Target Field. While FILO did not manage the 2014 T-Mobile All-Star FanFest, the equivalent to the NBA All-Star Jam Session which FILO has helped manage for over a decade, FILO did have the honor of working with FOX Sports North on a portion of their activation at the FanFest.


FILO looked to help enhance FOX Sports North’s activation, which was already one of the best exhibits at the 2014 T-Mobile All-Star FanFest. FILO Productions helped secure four tablets for a very special photo opportunity that allowed fans to take their picture with one of four different overlays: Twins mascot, TC Bear, FOX Sports North announcers Bert Blyleven and Dick Bremer, the FOX Sports North desk and the most popular, a special overlay featuring the FOX Sports Girls.


There were more than 1,400 photos taken and over 980 emails sent out (that included the consumer’s once-in-a-lifetime photo). Fans also walked away with a free print-out of their photo, which included a custom FOX Sports North lanyard. In addition to the print-outs and ability to email the photo, fans also had the opportunity to Facebook or Tweet their photo.


FILO assisted with load-in logistics, provided TVs and stands for FOX Sports North, created the overlays, secured custom lanyards and sleeves, and worked on-site to help ensure the activation went smoothly for the full 5 days.


The 2014 MLB All-Star festivities, FOX Sports North and FILO helped bring an exciting, memorable and unforgettable experience to baseball fans from all around the world. It was an All-Star celebration to remember!

Thank You, Andy!

We wanted to take the time to say a BIG thank you to one of our long-time employees, Andy Acosta. His impeccable style and perfect hair, but most importantly his ability to create lasting memories and relationships with our clients and their customers will be truly missed.

Since 2006, Andy has been one of the biggest assets to FILO Productions. The passion he brought to his work and clients on a daily basis was something we will all remember.

Andy brought to our attention that he would be moving on in his career at another company. Although it was tough to hear he would be leaving, we wanted to thank him for his 8 years of dedication and hard work, so, Thank You Andy!


Rock Chalk!

Germanfest! St. Paul's New Premiere Summer Event

On Saturday, June 21st, Germanfest kicked off it’s inaugural festival at the Historic Schmidt Brewery in St. Paul, MN. Germanfest was not the stereotypical “Oktoberfest” festival, instead it was focused on celebrating German culture through food, music, dance, art, and education.

The festival ran both Saturday and Sunday with the re-lighting of the Schmidt letters being the overwhelming highlight. People of all ages came out to watch the iconic letters glow red again, just like it did many years ago.

As far as first year festivals go, Germanfest overcame any expectations it had. With beautiful weather and many different activities taking place, festivalgoers had a great experience to walk away with.

Other than the highlighted re-lighting, other popular activities included: World Cup Viewing, Strongman Competition, Long-Dog Races and various musical performances.

A BIG thank you to our sponsors. We honestly couldn’t have done it without you.

FILO along with The Fort Road Federation, are excited to start planning for year two!

FILO Manages Blowout Viewing Party

On Wednesday, June 4th, the New York Rangers wrapped up one of the finest public events to ever take place at Bryant Park. Over 10,000 screaming fans attended a FREE event that included a LIVE showing of Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final between the New York Rangers and the Los Angeles Kings. The event included a Chase sponsored Viewing Party featuring a 18’ x 30' LED Jumbotron and a Coke Zero sponsored Fan Festival.

While the outcome of the game was not what New Yorkers had hoped for, the memory and experience created at Bryant Park on that Wednesday evening was unimaginable.

There was a branded synthetic ice rink for young fans, face painters, a custom branded photobooth that integrated social media, hometown RangersTown letters, spot-lights, a 20' x 30' stage, alumni autographs and even an opportunity to get your picture taken with Henrik Lundqvist — a very cool tablet photo-opportunity that had the goaltender¹s image designed for a fan to stand next to him!

Overall, the event was deemed a giant success and the weather cooperated to create a beautiful day (and evening) for a tremendous overtime game.

FILO Productions worked with the New York Rangers to create hockey branded interactives, procure all equipment, set-up and tear down the event, manage crowd control, plan and permit with the City of New York, NYPD and Bryant Park Corporation, provide brand ambassadors, design and produce signage, and manage all operational logistics that went into the event.

Germanfest Coming to St. Paul

FILO Productions, Inc and The West End Federation of St. Paul, will team up to organize the inaugural Germanfest Heritage Festival on the site of the historic Schmidt Brewery production facilities.

The Fort Road Federation serves as the district council and community development corporation for Saint Paul's 9th District, the West 7th St neighborhood. The Federation was created in 1973 in the belief that citizens banding together could maintain and improve the quality of life in their neighborhood and help commercial endeavors prosper.

The dates for Germanfest are June 21st and 22nd, 2014 with the hours of operations going from 10:00 am – 10:00 pm on Saturday and 10:00 am – 7:00 pm on Sunday. There will be no cost for parking or admission.

This family-friendly event will not be the stereotypical “Oktoberfest” festival, instead will be focused on celebrating German culture through food, music, dance, art, education, and other activities. The German history of the Schmidt brewery, St. Paul, and Minnesota will be highlighted in many ways, including various tours of the area. There will be a Musical stage, a Family area, an Arts and Crafts area, TVs showing the World Cup soccer tournament, and other fun activities around the site.

Check out our website at http://www.germanfestmn.org, follow us on Twitter @Germanfestmn and like us on Facebook, Germanfest MN.  If you have any questions or would like to inquire about joining this event, please send an email to info@germanfestmn.org and let us know.

Let's Play Hockey!

With the Minnesota Wild reaching the playoffs, FILO had an opportunity to do some fun and exciting activations for them.  At each pre-game party, FILO sets up our Minnesota Wild branded Plinko game, which is a blast for both kids and adults.  We also set up a step-and-repeat Minnesota Wild playoff banner at each game where fans can get their picture taken for free. The photo is printed off right on the spot in less than 20 seconds!

At each game, FILO has had so much fun interacting with fans and celebrating our Minnesota Wild winning the first series against the Colorado Avalanche. We continued cheering them on at the Xcel Energy Center while they were in the second series against the Chicago Blackhawks.

Being a part of the pre-game party with the Minnesota Wild is a great time, not only for the fans, but for our own crew as well. It is a great way to get fans involved and excited for the game, which brings so much energy and excitement into the Xcel Energy Center for each game in our very own “State of Hockey!"

With a young and exciting team, we are looking forward to many more playoff runs!

GO WILD!

FILO: Minnesota's Top 100

Earlier this year FILO was selected as one of Minnesota's 100 Best Companies to Work For by the Minnesota Business Magazine. This is a tremendous honor and is a testament to all the hard work and dedication to our craft. This is a recipe for a wonderful work environment.


Below is the press release announcing the "100 Best Companies to Work For":


"On June 5, Minnesota Business magazine will host the 100 Best Companies to Work For Awards at the Saint Paul RiverCentre. Now in its third year, the event honors Minnesota companies that set the standard for employee well-being. Businesses that made the list in previous years have reported a tremendous boost in being able to recruit key new employees.

The “100 Best” were selected by an independent research firm employing various research techniques -- including an anonymous online questionnaire filled out by the employees of each company -- to determine which companies in Minnesota excel in the areas of work environment, employee benefits, and overall employee happiness.

The Minnesota Business team is pleased to share the 2014 list here.

Honorees will be invited to attend the celebration at the RiverCentre, where emcee John Cosgrove will lead them through a night of drinks, dinner, and an awards ceremony. Each company will also be listed in the June issue of Minnesota Business magazine.

To learn more about the event, click here. Congratulations to the “100 Best” of 2014!"

FILO is very honored to be a part of such a distinguished group!

FILO in Texas for NBA FIT Clinic

On April 12th and 13th FILO Productions and the NBA teamed up with Wal-Mart to put on another NBA FIT Clinic event. NBA FIT, in conjunction with Wal-Mart, put on clinics in San Antonio and Houston, Texas. The FIT initiatives preach a healthy lifestyle by eating healthy, playing together, and being active. For these particular clinics we were honored to have former San Antonio Spurs guard TJ Ford, as well as NBA Legend Clyde Drexler, as our coaches.

The coaches use their experiences as NBA players to help participants of the clinics learn the basics of the game while teaching them how to be healthy. The best part of the clinics isn’t the great instruction kids receive, but that it is free.


Both the San Antonio and Houston clinics were well attended with over 125 kids coming out for the clinics. Other than going through the clinics with the coaches they also get an opportunity to go home with an autograph and picture with their coach plus some NBA giveaways. Overall the NBA Fit clinics have been a great success this spring, and FILO looks forward to putting on more great Fit clinics this spring. Next stop is May 3rd in Memphis, Tennessee; hope to see you all there.

FILO Scores at VIP March Madness Event

On Monday, March 24, FILO Productions sent Vice President Andrew Westphal to Las Vegas, NV for a rare event during the Nightclub & Bar Show, a convention and trade show with over 37,000 industry experts in the bar, nightclub, beverage and hospitality industry. As part of the 3-day event, FILO sent a maple-wood 1/2 court and basketball hoop for the attendees to participate in basketball contests and activities between their sessions.

FILO’s portion of the event took place inside a ballroom at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, where free beverages and snacks were provided, as well as other activities and elements including a pool table, foosball and one giant ice sculpture. The event and activation kicked off on Monday, and finished late Wednesday night, March 26.

The annual event included a kick-off party with special guest Ludacris and created an opportunity for patrons to mingle with speakers and professionals in the entertainment industry, while enjoying the nightlife of Las Vegas.

FILO’s involvement included providing all the equipment, shipping logistics, overall consulting and building of the activation, as well as taping official lines to create a March Madness-like basketball court for people to enjoy throughout the week. The ballroom and branding incorporated a college basketball feel, as the 2014 NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship Tournament had just wrapped up its initial weekend.

For more information on FILO events like this, visit our EVENTS page to see where FILO has been and what they have done.
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FILO Produces 12th NBA All-Star Jam Session

Another year of NBA All-Star Jam Session is in the books! This year marked the 12th Jam Session that FILO has successfully managed for the National Basketball Association. This year, Jam Session brought us to the Big Easy, New Orleans, Louisiana

Jam Session, like every year prior, starts with planning months in advance. Many site visits, hours of conference calls, multiple versions of truck packs and layouts are just a fraction of what goes into the planning process.

After six days and many hours in the warehouse, FILO’s 16 semi trucks full of interactive basketball equipment were off to New Orleans. Once in New Orleans, our veteran crew was responsible for unloading and building all the equipment.

With four full days of building, tweaking, perfecting, polishing and cleaning, Jam Session was ready for the thousands of fans eagerly awaiting the opening on Thursday night.

FILO’s main duties during the show include inventory, distribution, procurement, janitorial, blimp coordination, parking and overall event management. We are responsible for making sure all sponsor areas have their premiums, making sure any packages or boxes being delivered are inventoried and received by the correct party, running safety checks on all equipment and most importantly, making sure the entire convention center is clean and presentable. A major part of the fan experience is making sure fans can have fun in a clean and safe environment.

Before and after the show is where FILO really excels though, as we set up over 20 basketball hoops, place more than 320 transframe signs, manage the pre- and post-production of signage, clean out the entire convention center and docks, and peel every last inch of tape from the convention center floor.

Our attention to detail and dedication to creating a lasting experience for every fan that entered made for a memorable NBA Jam Session in New Orleans. After four successful show days and two days of tear down, the16 trucks head back to Minnesota where FILO finished up with post-production logistics.

Lastly, after Jam Session is over, the FILO crew continues to work on wrapping up the event for weeks in the warehouse. Unloading trucks, scanning and re-inventorying, fixing damaged items, putting back all items in there appropriate spot in the warehouse, and recapping the entire event is when we can say Jam Session is complete.