FILO Productions Recap of 2015

From the beginning until the end, FILO was a very busy organization in 2015. Since there are more than 50 different events, it would be impossible to discuss each of them. However, here are some of the places that FILO has been throughout the past year.

Long-time Partners
As a result of our long partnership with the NBA, there were many different projects that FILO took part in over the course of the year. With the NBA All-Star game being held in New York City, it presented an opportunity to have NBA House events at different locations. There were also events hosted by different teams, such as during each game of the Cleveland Cavaliers playoff run and the New York Knicks Draft Party on June 25th. The New York Rangers hosted several viewing parties during their playoff run. Fox Sports North hosted events throughout the year, such as a season Kickoff Party at the Mall of America and a Photo Opportunity in their building at the State Fair each day of the fair.

Tours
This year, there were several large tours that FILO took part in. The MLB Roadshow took place in Calgary, Vancouver, and Montreal in July and August. The NBA Campus Pass presented by AIR MILES had stops in Toronto, Halifax, and Edmonton in September. The Cleveland Cavaliers hosted a FanFest tour during the preseason to bring the Cavs experience to other cities in Ohio. From November to February, the NBA All-Star Tour has 15 different stops to help engage fans in various cities in Canada, leading up to the NBA All-Star game being hosted in Toronto in February 2016.

New Events
Starting in January, Hockey Day Minnesota being held in St. Paul allowed for FILO to be involved with putting together the logistics to make it a major success. A new partnership with Mystic Lake resulted in several events, such as the Singles Mingle dating night, helping to find vendors for Ribfest, and organizing their Oktoberfest. FILO helped to organize Celebrate Israel Boston, which took place on May 31st. This was the first year FILO helped with the St. Paul Union Depot Holiday Bake Sale. And while it was the 15th Annual St. Paul Oktoberfest, it was the first time that FILO was involved with it and brought it to Rice Park in downtown St. Paul.

Recurring Events
Of course, there were many events in the home state of Minnesota. The Minnesota Twins had several events over the course of the year, such as TwinsFest and celebrating Twins Diversity during Cinco de Mayo. The 2nd Annual Twin Cities Burger Battle was held in Minneapolis for the first time, bringing in more restaurants and attendees than the first year. Festa Italiana was brought back to Harriet Island this July. And the 2nd year of GermanFest added another full day, more food vendors, more guests, and higher expectations to keep growing this into one of the largest and best ethnic festivals in Minnesota.

FILO is proud of each of their events and are happy to provide high-quality, successful events to our partners. We strive for long-lasting partnerships and are very thankful for each and every person and organization that we work with. It has been a great 2015 and we are looking forward to an even better 2016!!

Union Depot Holiday Bake Sale

This past Saturday, December 12th, the St. Paul Union Depot held its 3rd Annual Holiday Bake Sale. It took place in the Waiting Room of the Depot from 10 am – 5 pm. The $5 admission charge helped to raise funds for the White Bear Food Shelf, an organization that is doing great things in the northern suburbs. Not only was this a great opportunity to see this great venue, it also gave a chance to finish up your holiday shopping while tasting items from some of the finest bakeries in the Twin Cities. The media coverage on the local morning shows definitely helped to bring people to the Union Depot.

This year, FILO was responsible for organizing the bakeries and other food vendors, along with organizing the Entertainment Stage schedule with baking demonstrations and musicians. There were 24 bakeries that had a variety of offerings, which included cookies, cinnamon rolls, pastries, candy, chocolates, coffee, macaroons, s’mores, dog treats, and bread. There were also vendors that offered salsa, jams and jellies, soaps, and maple syrup. During the event, there was a preview of the Lowertown Pop event that will take place in April, with 10 of the vendors having booths as a part of the Bake Sale. This allowed some additional gift-giving opportunities for all attendees. The initial estimates are that there were twice as many people that came to this years’ event than came in 2014. FILO is very happy to partner with a great organization, such as the Union Depot, to help put on such a successful event.