Avnet Helps Ring In The Super Bowl

The University of Phoenix Stadium is home of Super Bowl XLII in Glendale, Ariz., where the New England Patriots and the New York Giants on Sunday.

Avnet Chairman and CEO Roy Vallee helped kickoff Super Bowl celebrations by joining other executives and Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano by ringing the closing bell of the NYSE Euronext on Friday.

The honored guests rang cow bells from Glendale. The feed was broadcast live back at NYSE headquarters in New York. Vallee was chosen to ring the large one, pictured here.

Vallee, left, confers with Al Maig, chief communications officer at Avnet.

Vallee also rang the NYSE closing bell in 2002 in New York. "Ringing the closing bell is not something I thought I'd ever do in my lifetime. Doing it once was cool, doing it twice is long odds. I think my odds of hitting the lottery are better. But it's not really about me. The first time, it was about Avnet. This time it is about the State of Arizona," Vallee said.

The event was held on the rooftop level of a parking garage adjacent to the stadium. The temperature was in the 60s but there were plenty of refreshments to beat the Arizona heat.

Super Bowl XLII marks Vallee's third time at the big game. He was on hand when Terry Bradshaw's Pittsburgh Steelers beat the Dallas Cowboys back in Miami in the 1970s, and saw the Cowboys get revenge in Super Bowl XXX, the only other time the event was held in Arizona.

It sounds impossible, but the corporate marketing opportunities surrounding the Super Bowl may even surpass the hype for the game itself. Even the sky is not immune to advertising opportunities.

The event gathered throngs of local media, but it avoided some of the shenanigans come to be associated with the annual Super Bowl Media Day. No one dressed as a bride proposed to Vallee, as a reporter did to Patriots quarterback Tom Brady earlier this week.

Spike, the official mascot for Super Bowl XLII, makes his grand entrance. Spike declined to comment on the days' top technology story: Microsoft's proposed buyout of Yahoo!

Spike greets Arizona Cardinals owner Bill Bidwell. The Cardinals are the host team for Super Bowl XLII.

As the dignitaries gathered on stage, Vallee confers with Napolitano while Spike, the mascot for Super Bowl XLII joins the crowd.

Vallee is a fan of the Arizona Cardinals and the San Diego Chargers (he lived near San Diego for 10 years and was a season-ticket holdervduring the Dan Fouts era. He had hoped the Chargers would represent the AFC this year, but San Diego lost to New England.

Vince Keenan, vice president of investor relations at Avnet, served as "referee" for the event.

Sandra (Salah) Cowburn, a former distribution executive at Synnex and Savoir Technology Group was helping to run the event for the NYSE.

Napolitano got to hold an official Super Bowl XLII ball.

Here, Vallee practices his wave before the live shot was sent back to New York.

Vallee was cagy about offering a prediction for Sunday's Patriots-Giants matchup.

"I think a lot of points will be scored. Obviously New England is favored, but I don't if they can cover the spread. It's a big spread for a Super Bowl," he said.

Avnet gets top billing among the corporate sponsors at the event.

Vallee and Napolitano talk with Larry Leibowitz, executive vice president and COO of NYSE.

Here, Vallee rings the bell while Napolitano looks on.

Avnet invited about 200 VARs and suppliers as guests to this year's Super Bowl.

"It's obviously one of the great sporting events in the world but it's also a chance to build relationships," Vallee said. "I mentioned at dinner [Thursday night] that the level of candor was incredible. As the communication rises, it increases our ability to understand their needs and increase the value that we can provide."