Oct. 13, 2009 (Business Wire) -- The global economy is showing signs of picking up speed. But the need to reduce costs is not slowing down. On October 20, Ariba, Inc. (Nasdaq: ARBA), the leading spend management solutions provider, will kick off Spend Management Days 2009, a global series of events designed to help companies identify opportunities for savings and ensure that they reach the bottom line. The series will begin in Boston and continue through the remainder of the year with events in Los Angeles, Atlanta, Minneapolis, Calgary, London, Geneva and Philadelphia.

“The recession has sparked deep and widespread structural changes into how businesses operate, organize, capitalize and manage costs and created a new state of normal in which supply volatility, capacity constraints, and global uncertainty will be commonplace and must be carefully managed,” said Tim Minahan, Chief Marketing Officer, Ariba. “Ariba Spend Management Days are unique forums through which organizations can gather insights and best practices to help them get in front of this wave and lock in rates before inflation strikes, shore up supply in their core commodities, and optimize cash flows across their supply chain.”

Designed for executives and practitioners across procurement, finance, legal and IT, Ariba Spend Management Days provide practical, actionable information that participants can use to position their organizations to compete more strongly when economic conditions improve.

“The key to surviving the current downturn and thriving in the post-recession economy is agility,” Minahan continued. “Leading companies will enable this agility by better anticipating fluctuations in market conditions and balancing internal capabilities with external solutions and expertise delivered via flexible, technology-enabled service models like Software as a Service.”

Through dynamic keynote presentations, interactive panel discussions, targeted breakout sessions and informal networking forums, Ariba Spend Management Days provide access to market knowledge, category insights and solution demonstrations that attendees can leverage to put spend management into action and quickly create value across their organizations.

For more information on Ariba Spend Management Days, or to register for events, please visit: www.ariba.com/events/smd/.

About Ariba, Inc.

Ariba, Inc. is the leading provider of on-demand spend management solutions. Our mission is to transform the way companies of all sizes, across all industries, and geographies operate by delivering technology, service, and network solutions that enable them to holistically source, contract, procure, pay, manage, and analyze their spend and supplier relationships.