There are two driving forces behind the push for stay-cations: the current economic crisis and the green movement. As individuals and families are feeling the pressure of financial hardships and increasing numbers of people are committing to lowering the impact their lifestyles have on the environment, the world of vacations and travel is changing. More and more people are opting for cost-effective day excursions or nearby travel destinations that require less transportation and inflict less damage on the environment, while still being filled with fun activities and opportunities to make lasting memories. This new form of vacations is being called stay-cations by some, and companies are beginning to jump on the bandwagon to apply this idea to their incentive travel programs and corporate events.

The benefits for companies that opt for incentive travel destinations and corporate event locations that are nearby include significant cost savings, particularly in regards to transportation costs, and a positive public image that shows a commitment to limiting your company’s carbon footprint. Both of these can be very enticing and are often enough to convince a company to bypass exotic locations and opt for staying close to home. This can certainly help a planner keep things under budget, but it also puts additional pressure on the incentive travel or event planner to come up with an enticing nearby destination and appealing entertainment options that will please participants who may be accustomed to boarding a plane and heading to an exotic locale.

Are you always looking for ways to improve meeting attendance? Are enticing incentive travel destinations sometimes just still not enough? While opting for destinations in Mexico, South America, The Caribbean, The Bahamas or other exciting locations are usually enough to have attendees tripping over themselves to confirm their attendance, sometimes you need something special to really entice folks. Memorable, once in a lifetime experiences are the best way to ensure that your meeting attendance will improve, such as world-class sporting events, an incentive cruise, rare exhibits or concerts put on by musical icons are all sure to increase interest in your next corporate meeting or event.

If you plan your corporate event to be held in South Africa to coincide with the 2010 World Cup, or your next event to be held in the host city of the Super Bowl or to take place along with an event to honor the newest Hall of Fame inductee, and are able to procure tickets for these events for your attendees, you can be sure that attendance will soar. While this level of event may not fit comfortably into every company’s budget, these are simply examples of the possibilities for offering experiences your potential attendees will not want to miss. Other options that are more affordable include concerts, Broadway shows that are usually sold out or traveling exhibits that will likely only be in town for a short time and may never return.