A Couple Hundred Pounds of Desserts and Food, Several Hundred People -- It's a Party at Risdall Advertising Agency.

A Whole New Season

You’ve probably heard the scouting reports — they have a talent-packed lineup, they hit for power throughout the order and they have a solid rotation and a dominant bullpen. We’re not talking about the legion team from Poughkeepsie, we’re talking about the squad known as Risdall Marketing Group (RMG).

Like the boys in pinstripes, it seems the RMG team gets stronger every year. Case in point, on September 18, 2007 Risdall Marketing Group celebrated the welcome addition of the newest member of the lineup — Risdall Sandstrom Media Works. With local media veteran Jim Sandstrom leading the new division, RMG is poised to top last year’s success.

RMG rolled out the red carpet during its A Whole New Season party where over eight hundred professionals from the advertising, marketing, public relations and media communities attended the celebration. Joining the festivities and helping RMG kickoff the new sporting season was a virtual who’s-who of local sports celebrities. The raucous night ended with Sandstrom proclaiming, “Risdall Sandstrom Media Works is looking forward to a great season!”

Stop me if you’ve heard this one before. So Sven and Ole are talking about hiring a PR agency to promote their new lutefisk website and...oh, you have? Vell den, you must have been one of the over 650 revelers who helped celebrate the Grand Opening of Risdall McKinney Public Relations (RMPR) and Syttende Mai, Norwegian Independence Day on May 17, 2006.

Risdall Advertising has been ranked as high as the sixth largest PR firm in Minnesota in the last five years. The March 24, 2006 issue of the Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal ranked us seventh for 2005. In 2006, we restructured and renamed our PR entity to include Rose McKinney as its new president.

Back at the party, in addition to a gourmet spread of truly epic proportions (including 20 incredible Franklin Bakery cakes), party-goers were entertained by Viking mascot, Ragnar, storyteller, Ole Olesen, and the Minnesota Scandinavian Ensemble. And, of course, there were prizes galore, including gift certificates to TCO restaurants and the use of a deluxe suite at the Dome to watch our beloved Vikes pound and pillage Randy Moss and the Oakland Raiders.

You betcha a good time was had by all!

On February 9, 2006, Risdall Advertising “kissed the monkey goodbye”* as they celebrated the Chinese Year of the Rooster and the good fortune of their 34th Anniversary, which, if you’re counting, makes Risdall the 7th oldest Minnesota agency (out of more than 600.)

Needless to say, as with all Risdall parties, it was an occasion of dynastic proportions.

Over 700 lucky guests hoovered mounds of chow of both Western and Eastern origin that included roast duck, corn dogs, oyster wings, egg rolls, Tina’s famous Mandarin Orange Fruit Salad, pounds and pounds of pork, Happy Potatoes, pot stickers and, of course, a dessert course featuring dozens of cakes from Café Latte and the Franklin Street Bakery.

Entertainment was provided by a Chinese band, fortune teller and magician who roamed through the crowd amidst the dragons, Chinese lanterns and Buddha sculptures that festooned the office for this gala event.

(*No monkeys were harmed in the making of this party.)

On May 22, 2002, RLA celebrated its 30th anniversary with tortes and tarot cards. The famously dessert-loving advertising agency served many sweet treats, a few appetizers, and a roast pig. A timeline highlighted with agency artifacts was also on display at the party.

Agency founder John Risdall says that his shop, founded in his basement in July 1972, has outlived or outgrown 3000 ad agencies in Minnesota. Although the agency is billing itself as "the luckiest ad agency in the world" on its Voodoo '72 party invitation, sheer persistence, a broad scope of capabilities, and adaptability have probably had more to do with its success.

Entertainment at the invitation-only party included a palm reader, a tarot card reader, and the opportunity to be photographed in a 1972 VW Beetle convertible. Fun: mandatory. Hexes and hoodoo: optional.

On May 1st, 2001 over three hundred partygoers, including clients, family and friends, basked in the "sunny glow of Club RLA" at the agency's May Day party. Celebrating the new Risdall Linnihan building, party guests were greeted at the door with live island tunes provided by The Ramblers.

The significantly larger, custom designed office space is located at 550 Main Street in southern sunny New Brighton. With 38,900-sq. ft., the Risdall Linnihan Building was just large enough to hold 21 different styles of desserts, as well as an 84-inch long, 100-plus-lb. cake in the shape of the new building.

Main attractions included PartyCams that broadcast scenes from the "Scooter Speedway", "Main Drag" and the "Luau Lens" direct to the agency web site, while younger attendees clamored for turns driving the Barbie car. Before heading back to the mainland, guests were awarded fabulous prizes (including the grand prize of a scooter) and treated to party favors: May Day vases filled with assorted JellyBelly jelly beans.