When planning corporate meetings and conventions, reserving shuttles to carry your participants from their hotels to the event location, from the event location to planned excursions or between multiple venues is generally taken for granted as part of the meeting planning process. Meeting and event planners automatically add a line for shuttle expenses to the event budget and usually assume this service is a must, even if the hotel is barely two blocks from the convention center. It would appear that having a shuttle has worked its way onto the essentials list, right along with tables, chairs and lighting.

While there be some circumstances where shuttles truly are a must, this additional expense is often unnecessary. Most cities with meeting and conference venues have plenty of hotels located within walking distance of event locations, as well as well-established public transportation systems that can easily and economically carry event participants to different venues or excursions. Most event venues also have dining options in close proximity.

Considering that most companies are still looking for ways to cut event expenses and many are on the lookout for easy ways to go green, cutting shuttle service out of your list of musts is an easy way to accomplish both goals. Before reserving shuttles for your next corporate event, take a moment to determine whether or not they are truly necessary. If most venues are in close proximity to one another and hotels are just down the street, shuttles may just be an extra expense that you can easily avoid without participant complaints.

Team building is important for any company and is one of the best ways to ensure that you have a cohesive team that knows how to work together to meet company goals and create a productive, effective work environment. While it is important for staff members who work together in close proximity each day to get along well and know each other’s strengths, team building is particularly important for companies that operate from a number of sites. If these sites are located in different areas of the country or state, this becomes even more crucial for your success.

Large corporations with multiple sites can benefit from quarterly or annual team building experiences that take place in a central location. While bringing thousands of employees together in one location may not be a viable option for all companies, hosting a centrally located retreat that groups together staff members in each geographical location is an effective option that will prove beneficial to the overall health of your company. Firms with numerous staff members scattered around the country or around the globe may also want to consider virtual team building experiences using video conferencing technologies.

Of course, for small and mid-sized companies, in-person team building experiences will always be the most effective option and can even include simple exercises that are incorporated into regularly scheduled meetings or events.

As you well know, many clients need their meeting planners to pay particular attention to expenses these days. With tighter budgets and fewer event planning dollars, meeting planners must get creative in order to meet and exceed their clients’ expectations while keeping a close eye on expenditures.

With current and potential clients concerned about budgets, it is also just a good all around idea to find creative ways to keep costs down, which will certainly get people talking about you and how you can plan a stellar event for a fraction of the expected cost.

When it comes to saving money on event entertainment, you don’t have to rely only on low-budget acts or free attractions. For cost-saving ways to entertain your attendees, simply follow these five tips:

1. Look for group discounts on tickets to local museums and attractions.
2. Seek out entertainers who will be performing in the same city during your event. Oftentimes, entertainers are happy to add another gig to their schedule for a discounted price.
3. Plan your meeting in a city that offers numerous entertainment options within close proximity to your meeting location. This way, you can simply schedule free time and allow the attendees to entertain themselves.
4. Contact local entertainers or the music department of a local college or university to find low-cost options.
5. Many museums and similar attractions include monthly free admission days. Check local events calendars to see if these days coincide with your event.

Luxury hotels offer upscale temporary accommodations, meeting rooms and close proximity to business centers and local attractions, but for smaller groups of attendees there are also other viable options that provide an enhanced travel experience and can save money for the host company. Opting for private accommodations can cost less than reserving multiple rooms and meeting spaces in high-end hotels and can offer many added benefits, such as private pools and hot tubs, fully-furnished kitchens, well-equipped meeting rooms, private parking, and even well-stocked game rooms.

Luxury villas, chalets or castles are unique lodging options that are ideal for small- to mid-sized meetings, executive retreats and incentive travel, and many choices are located near important centers of global business in England, Germany, Japan, South Africa or various locations through the United States. With stylish, upscale décor, comfortable private rooms with en-suite lavatories and desirable urban or rural locations, private villas and castles allow attendees to relax in the lap of luxury and avoid crowded, tourist-packed hotels during their stay.

Private accommodation options are also ideal for entertaining business partners or local clients between meetings and provide a more relaxed, comfortable atmosphere for doing business. The next time you are planning a corporate meeting or incentive travel package, consider offering unique private accommodation options that provide affordable luxury and exceptional privacy.

The world of meeting and event planning is changing. As companies cut their budgets and keep a closer eye on expenses and an increasingly environmentally aware market demands that companies take noticeable eco-friendly steps to stay ahead of the curve, event planners must continue to come up with new, innovative ideas to keep their clients happy and the business coming in.

If you can make a name for yourself as an event planner that can assist clients in saving money and giving their image an eco-edge, you will be well ahead of the competition in the years to come.

One example of how you can help your clients cut costs and make their next meeting or event an eco-friendlier affair is to encourage the use of train travel for transportation. If the meeting is in close proximity to company headquarters, or near where most attendees reside, this is a particularly enticing option that will lower the carbon footprint of the event and show that the company is taking environmentally responsible steps.

Train travel is also more affordable and is enjoyable for the commuters, allowing them to relax and enjoy the ride, or brush up on talking points before their presentation. Begin to incorporate train transportation options into your event planning and you may be pleasantly surprised at the attention it will garner.