AT&T Kicks Off This Year's 2012 NCAA® Men's and Women's Final Four Weekend in The Big Easy and The Mile High City

DALLAS, March 30, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- As wooden floorboards are set down, baskets are hung and mascots begin to cheer--college basketball fans travel to New Orleans and Denver to watch their favorite team try and win a national championship. Outside of bracket watching, AT&T* will provide an action-packed weekend full of entertainment and activities.

"We've got an exciting lineup of entertainment and interactive play planned for fans this weekend," said David Christopher, chief marketing officer, AT&T Mobility. "We are providing fans the ultimate college basketball experience—whether they're tracking their brackets from home or in the stadium at the Final Four."

Taking it Easy in New Orleans' Big Easy

Fans can dribble down to Bracket Town™ Refreshed by Coca-Cola Zero™ at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center today, Friday, March 30, through Monday, April 2. There, guests can test the latest AT&T products and services, including the Samsung Note, get some "hang time" with fan-friendly games, and participate in autograph sessions with current NCAA coaches and basketball legends Friday through Monday. On Monday, basketball fans can stop by the AT&T Fan Zone and get autographs from former Naismith Trophy winner Jay Williams from 1-2 p.m., and Basketball Hall of Famers David Robinson from 2:30-3:30 p.m. and John Havlicek from 4-5 p.m.   

Looking for entertainment outside of sports? AT&T is providing music fans with a performance by teen artist, Mindless Behavior, performing live in the Buick Arena on Sunday, April 1 at 3:30 p.m. and an autograph session following the performance.

AT&T will kick off Final Four Friday^®, March 30 from 4-10 p.m. CDT at The Big Dance^® Concert Series with the AT&T Block Party in downtown New Orleans. This free, three-day music festival is located at Woldenberg Park located between the Mississippi River and the historic French Quarter.

To get the ball rolling, AT&T will start Friday night's action with opening acts Vintage Trouble, a Los Angeles-based soul band, and local New Orleans rock n' roll favorite, Cowboy Mouth. 

Headlining the evening is legendary rock band KISS.  As one of America's top gold-record champions and one of the most influential bands in the history of rock, KISS has released 44 albums and sold more than 90 million albums worldwide. The unparalleled devotion and loyalty of the KISS Army is a striking testament to the band's unbreakable bond with its fans. KISS is currently preparing for a major world tour starting this summer. More information on KISS is available at: http://www.kissonline.com/home

Fans can even text to vote for the KISS encore song and text to win KISS prizes from AT&T or get their picture "with" KISS in a special souvenir digital photo.

AT&T also will host a live webcast of the KISS concert on Facebook at http://uverse.us/UverseKISS and on www.uverse.com/KISS at 8 p.m. CDT, March 30. KISS is even going to give a shout-out to its fans on the AT&T U-verse Facebook page and play their favorite song polled on the page with a special message. Don't forget to enter the sweepstakes giveaways with the grand prize of two tickets for a future KISS concert with hotel, airfare and transportation included.  Visit the AT&T U-verse Facebook page for complete contest details.

Fans that follow AT&T on Foursquare can check-in at AT&T's Fan Zone in Bracket Town and other locations around the Big Easy and try their luck to win sweepstake tickets to the 2013 Final Four in Atlanta. They can also check in to unlock the official AT&T Final Four Fanatic badge by checking in at the AT&T Block Party at The Big Dance and games at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome.  

Wireless users of participating carriers can also opt in for the latest Men's Final Four events news via SMS text messaging, by texting** HOOPS to  55333. Learn more at http://foursquare.com/att

On Sunday, the Naismith Trophy will be presented to the Men's College Basketball Player of the Year at the AT&T NABC Guardians of the Game Awards Show. Fans of college basketball have the unique opportunity to help determine which talented star will take home the prestigious trophy with the fan vote accounting for 25 percent of the final tally. AT&T wireless customers – and sports fans on other wireless networks – can text their votes for the player of their choice by texting** VOTE to 34763 before 11:59 p.m. EDT on Saturday, March 31, 2012.

Networks in NOLA: AT&T Mobile Internet Experience

Want to check-out the replay of that slam dunk on your smartphone or smart device? AT&T is helping fans stay connected and installed a Distributed Antenna System (DAS) in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome and at Champions Square—the DAS provides a network of 1,000 antenna nodes that enhance wireless service within the geographic area and improves coverage and capacity indoors and outdoors. Fans can use their wireless devices with confidence during the most action- and fan-packed events. AT&T is also deploying temporary cell sites, Cells on Wheels (COWs), around the Mercedes-Benz Superdome where fans can expect to see the highest level of network traffic during the event. We have also installed a COLT at Woldenberg Park for festivities there.

Driving it to Denver

The Rocky Mountains are ready to host and tipoff the 2012 NCAA Women's Final Four in Denver from Friday, March 30 to Tuesday, April 3. AT&T will offer women's college basketball fans the chance to experience entertainment, community and interactive engagement during Tourney Town^® Refreshed by Coca-Cola Zero^®.  The free event is open to the public and will be held at the Colorado Convention Center. Fans of all ages can experience a range of activities throughout the weekend at the AT&T Fan Zone – featuring autograph sessions with current NCAA coaches, basketball-themed trivia, the ability to sample the latest in wireless technology, prizes and much more.

At the AT&T Mascot Challenge in Tourney Town on Sunday, April 1 at 12 p.m. MDT watch The Jefferson County Branch of Boys & Girls Club of Metro Denver members square off against each other with the help of college team mascots. The winning team will get a donation for their club, and the mascot will receive a check for its school, all from AT&T.

The  Naismith Trophy for Women's College Basketball Player of the Year presented by AT&T will be awarded  at the 2012 WBCA Awards Show on Monday, April 2 at 6 p.m. MDT.

To get the latest Women's Final Four events news via SMS text messaging, text** INFO to 55333.

For more information on how AT&T keeps sports fans connected to NCAA athletics, please visit: http://fanzone.att.net. More information on NCAA can be found at http://www.ncaa.com/.

All appearances are subject to athlete and entertainment availability. Times are subject to change.

* AT&T products and services are provided or offered by subsidiaries and affiliates of AT&T Inc. under the AT&T brand and not by AT&T Inc.

** Standard text messaging rates apply.

About AT&T

AT&T Inc. (NYSE: T) is a premier communications holding company and one of the most honored companies in the world. Its subsidiaries and affiliates – AT&T operating companies – are the providers of AT&T services in the United States and around the world. With a powerful array of network resources that includes the nation's fastest mobile broadband network, AT&T is a leading provider of wireless, Wi-Fi, high speed Internet, voice and cloud-based services. A leader in mobile broadband and emerging 4G capabilities, AT&T also offers the best wireless coverage worldwide of any U.S. carrier, offering the most wireless phones that work in the most countries.  It also offers advanced TV services under the AT&T U-verse^® and AT&T | DIRECTV brands. The company's suite of IP-based business communications services is one of the most advanced in the world. In domestic markets, AT&T Advertising Solutions and AT&T Interactive are known for their leadership in local search and advertising. 

Additional information about AT&T Inc. and the products and services provided by AT&T subsidiaries and affiliates is available at http://www.att.com.  This AT&T news release and other announcements are available at http://www.att.com/newsroom and as part of an RSS feed at www.att.com/rss. Or follow our news on Twitter at @ATT.

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About the NCAA

The NCAA is a membership-led nonprofit association of colleges and universities committed to supporting academic and athletic opportunities for more than 400,000 student-athletes at more than 1,000 member colleges and universities. Each year, more than 54,000 student-athletes compete in NCAA championships in Divisions I, II and III sports. Visit www.ncaa.org and www.ncaa.com for more details about the Association, its goals and members and corporate partnerships that help support programs for student-athletes.  The NCAA is proud to have the following elite companies as official Corporate Champions—AT&T, Capital One and Coca-Cola—and the following elite companies as official Corporate Partners— All State, Buick, Enterprise, Northwestern Mutual, Infiniti, LG, Lowe's, Planters, Reese's, Unilever and UPS.

SOURCE AT&T Inc.