Smart Ideas 05/06 Thrill-seeking adventures, rockin' music classes and more

Adventure Venture
What: Gift certificates redeemable for a variety ofmemorable experiences
Who: Gavin Bishop, Michelle Geib and Robb Young of XperienceDays
Where: Hoboken, New Jersey
When: Started in January 2005

Though the multimillion-dollar gift-giving market will nevercease to exist, gift-giving patterns change as often as the latestfashion trends. In recent years, research shows consumers arelooking for gifts that are unique--not your run-of-the-milldepartment-store gift cards. As one of the first companies to catchon to this trend, Xperience Days lets customers give an opportunityof a lifetime as a gift.

According to co-founder Gavin Bishop, Xperience Days offers awide range of life-enhancing experiences "that people dreamand talk of doing, but rarely get around to doing." Theaverage cost of the gift certificates is $275 to $300--prices rangefrom $65 for a trapeze lesson to $110,000 for a privatezero-gravity flight.