Avnet Leaders to Speak at 2006 Executive Business Forecasting Forum.

PHOENIX -- Avnet Electronics Marketing Americas, the largest operating group of Avnet Inc. (NYSE: AVT), today announced that executives Therese Bassett and David Lentz will participate in the Institute of Business Forecasting's second annual Executive Business Forecasting Forum in Tucson, Ariz., on Sept. 18, 2006, at the Omni Tucson National Golf Resort & Spa.

The Executive Business Forum is an annual event geared for senior executives and those who work with them, and relates to increasing company value through business forecasting and planning. During the forum, speakers and panel members will share their business knowledge by discussing specific case studies from their firms and their own business experiences -- illustrating for participants what works, what doesn't and why.

The forum's key issues:

--The value of the forecasting function

--The challenges of global forecasting and their solutions

--Techniques in demand shaping

--How to develop an executive sales & operations planning (S&OP) process

Bassett, vice president of corporate strategic planning and business intelligence for Avnet, will deliver the keynote speech at the Executive Business Forecasting Forum luncheon. Bassett's presentation, "Forecasting in a Global Environment," will underscore how the global supply chain has become more complex and fragmented, the challenges this complexity poses to forecasting models and assumptions, and how Avnet and other companies can develop strategies to succeed in a global supply chain environment. "Forecasting is a difficult proposition to begin with. Throw in different processes, cultures, business environments and supply chain capabilities, and the challenge grows by a factor of 100," said Bassett. "Avnet has learned a lot on the road to becoming a global supply-chain company, and we look forward to sharing what we know."

Additionally, Bassett and Lentz, director of the supply-chain services group for Avnet, will serve on the following panel discussions, "Global Forecasting and Supply Chain Management" and "Demand Management: Matching Supply and Demand Over Time."

Bassett has been a member of the Avnet team since 1993. She is responsible for working with Avnet's executive leaders to facilitate the development of forward-looking strategies designed to position Avnet for competitive advantage. Bassett holds a bachelor's degree in business administration from Temple University, a master's degree in business administration from the University of Phoenix, and post-graduate certifications in corporate strategy development from the University of Chicago and finance from UCLA.

Lentz is a 16-year veteran of Avnet. His supply chain analysis and design experience is built on his work with more than 300 customers over the past 10 years of service throughout the Americas. Lentz holds a bachelor's degree in business administration from Widener University and a master's degree in organizational dynamics from the University of Pennsylvania.

About Avnet Electronics Marketing

Avnet Electronics Marketing is the largest operating group of Phoenix-based Avnet Inc. (NYSE:AVT), a Fortune 500 company. Avnet Electronics Marketing serves electronic original equipment manufacturers (EOEMs) and electronic manufacturing services (EMS) providers in 68 countries, distributing electronic components from leading manufacturers and providing associated design-chain and supply-chain services. The group's Web site is located at http://www.em.avnet.com.

Avnet markets, adds value to, and distributes the products of the world's leading electronic component suppliers, computer manufacturers and embedded subsystem providers. The company also offers supply- and engineering-design-chain services. For the fiscal year ended July 1, 2006, Avnet generated revenue of $14.25 billion. Visit www.avnet.com/.