DALLAS – After providing a successful tailgate experience for the 2015 football season, Mustang Sports Properties – the exclusive media rights holder for SMU Athletics – and Block Party Suites have finalized a co-branded corporate partnership with SMU’s Cox School of Business and the Lyle School of Engineering. As a part of the new strategic plan, Block Party Suites will be providing the exclusive tailgate events on the famed “Boulevard” during the 2016 and 2017 SMU football seasons.

Red Zone PR Cover PhotoBlock Party Suites’ expertise in building pop-up fan communities and utilization of their unique mobile suites meets every goal both schools presented while providing alumni, students, faculty and donors with a premium experience that encourages each fan group to come out to the games early and interact in a high-end, comfortable and engaging environment.

Each suite unit is complete with an audio-visual experience, a rooftop viewing deck, high-end indoor / outdoor furniture, climate control options, as well as catered food and beverage areas.

Bigger and better than ever, the newly named “Cox / Lyle Red Zone” tailgate village will feature an expanded footprint and will be able to accommodate 1,500 people for each game. The partnership will also allow both schools to capitalize on a unified branding campaign while realizing cost-savings by combining their tailgate efforts. The tailgate is part of a new marketing program for SMU, where each respective school will be more visible via media provided by SMU Athletics and Mustang Sports Properties, to build awareness of executive programs and to increase enrollment in distance learning programs.

“Working collectively with the alumni relations, events and marketing teams of each respective school has been a wonderful. Our goal is to provide the best experience possible for their guests and relieve the external events team of the stress that goes into planning an event for 1,000 people each week,” said Mike Sage, General Manager of Mustang Sports Properties. “Additionally, we were able to put a marketing campaign together that focuses on the needs of each program and will be able to provide an outreach plan that zeroes in on prospective graduate students.”

“This extension and expansion of our partnership with Mustang Sports Properties will provide even more SMU football fans with a premium tailgate experience,” said Adam Ward, CEO of Block Party Suites. “The maturation of the tailgate market continues, with fans expecting new opportunities to celebrate with friends, family and new business contacts prior to moving into the stadium. By employing our unique suites and accompanying services, parking lots and other underutilized areas outside stadiums can be transformed into high-end hospitality and must-attend events.”

“Since the dedication of SMU’s Ford Stadium in the fall of 2000, ‘the Boulevard’ tailgating experience has been one of the most exciting events the Cox School hosts during the school year. The atmosphere, energy and personal connections that occur at these gatherings before every home game touch everyone – alumni, students, parents, corporate sponsors, community partners, faculty and staff. We are thrilled with our new partnerships and look forward to expanding our outreach throughout the SMU community at this year’s Mustang football tailgate events. It’s a win-win for everyone,” said Kevin Knox, Assistant Dean of External and Alumni Affairs for Cox.

“As the University pushes Entrepreneurship forward, it is great to have the Lyle and Cox alumni Boulevarding together. We are looking forward to sharing this hallmark of the SMU experience with our friends across the Promenade” remarked SMU Lyle Dean Marc Christensen.

SMU kicks off its home football slate at Ford Stadium on Saturday, September 17th vs. Liberty and features home games against in state rivals TCU and Houston. Conference home games include Memphis, USF and a Thanksgiving weekend showdown the US Naval Academy. For ticket and sponsorship information visit SMUMustangs.com

About the Edwin L. Cox School of Business
The Cox School of Business (cox.smu.edu), was originally established in Dallas in 1920 on the campus of Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas, and named in honor of benefactor Edwin L. Cox in 1978. SMU Cox offers a full range of highly-ranked undergraduate and graduate business education programs: BBA, Full-Time MBA, Fast Track One Year MBA, Professional MBA (PMBA), Executive MBA (EMBA), JD/MBA, MA/MBA, Master of Science (MS) in Accounting, MS in Business Analytics, MS in Finance, MS in Management, MS in Sport Management, as well as Executive Education and multiple certificate programs. The school also offers a number of unique resources and activities for students, including the Business Leadership Center (BLC); the Caruth Institute for Entrepreneurship; the Folsom Institute for Real Estate; the Maguire Energy Institute; the Global Leadership Program; and the Associate Board Executive Mentoring Program, as well as an active alumni network spread throughout more than 80 countries globally.

About the Bobby B. Lyle School of Engineering
SMU’s Bobby B. Lyle School of Engineering, founded in 1925, is one of the oldest engineering schools in the Southwest. The school offers eight undergraduate and 29 graduate programs, including master’s and doctoral degrees, through the departments of Civil and Environmental Engineering; Computer Science and Engineering; Electrical Engineering; Engineering Management, Information, and Systems; and Mechanical Engineering. Lyle students participate in programs in the unique Deason Innovation Gym, providing the tools and space to work on immersion design projects and competitions to accelerate leadership development and the framework for innovation; the Hart Center for Engineering Leadership, helping students develop nontechnical skills to prepare them for leadership in diverse technical fields; the Caruth Institute for Engineering Education, developing new methodologies for incorporating engineering education into K-12 schools; and the Hunter and Stephanie Hunt Institute for Engineering and Humanity, combining technological innovation with business expertise to address global poverty.

About Block Party Suites
Block Party Suites is leading a shift in high-end hospitality as it reimagines and repurposes shipping containers to introduce premium suite options for use at major sports events and music festivals. To see how their suites have been used by some of the most prominent colleges, teams and brands, visit www.blockpartysuites.com

About Mustang Sports Properties
Learfield’s Mustang Sports Properties (MSP) is the official media rights holder for Southern Methodist University Athletics. MSP offers corporate customers a customized marketing plan using a multitude of multi-media assets, including radio, television, signage, promotions, hospitality, digital, social media, print and more. MSP offers businesses in North Texas the opportunity to reach a dynamic and powerful demographic…SMU alums and fans.