Pfizer European meeting and congress cagegory lead, procurement, Andrew Gilkerson

Pfizer unveils European event agency consolidation project

Leanne Bell , 29 June 2009

Andrew Gilkerson anticipates completion in September

Pfizer aims to complete its European event agency consolidation project in September.

Andrew Gilkerson, Pfizer's European meeting and congress category lead, procurement, gave a presentation at the Grass Roots Meetings Management Forum 2008 on Friday on the process that the company is undertaking to consolidate its events suppliers.

"We are about two-thirds of the way through our meetings agency consolidation project for the European region and we hope to have it completed in September," said Gilkerson.

Prior to the consolidation project, Pfizer outsourced meetings and congresses to 59 event management agencies in 23 countries for its European region.

Gilkerson said Pfizer spent an estimated Euro 260m annually on meetings in its European region, which made it the "largest single identifiable category of spend".

Pfizer aims to make a 10% cost saving through the consolidation project.

Europe is the first of Pfizer's geographic territories to carry out the consolidation project.

"When it is complete, we will look at sharing the outcomes and benfits with our staff in Asia, Latin America and the US," he said.