The Meetings, Events and Communications division of Grass Roots is strengthening its Healthcare team with the creation of a dedicated Congress Housing Team. Christopher Lind, previously Venue Sourcing Manager for two years, has been promoted to lead the team as Congress Housing Manager. The new team is dedicated to the purchase of accommodation and meeting space at International congresses on behalf of the agency's worldwide Healthcare clients.

The creation of the team forms part of Grass Roots' strategic plan to deliver additional benefits to Healthcare clients including the reduction of bottom-line costs and cancellation fees.

In the next twelve months, Grass Roots team anticipates purchasing accommodation for attendees at over 110 congresses worldwide. Current spend in this area is estimated at around €40m per annum and is increasing at around 20% year on year.

Christopher Lind, Congress Housing Manager, Grass Roots comments: "We already negotiate hard to reduce costs and cancellation fees for all our clients but, as congress accommodation purchasing is such a specific task, having a dedicated team ensures that we deliver these benefits to our clients across our 16 worldwide locations".

Chris and the team will be based at Grass Roots' Marlow office but work closely with Jim Quintrell, Grass Roots Venue Procurement Operations Director in the London office and Mark Handforth, Global Healthcare Development Director, Grass Roots.