Business travel has a tendency of being quite demanding. From having to finish a presentation on the plane to taking the red eye in order make that early morning meeting, fretting about missing an important connecting flight or even dealing with the hassle of losing luggage, traveling for work can have it’s downsides…that is, unless you charter a private jet.

While the common stance would lead most to believe chartering a jet is way out of their budget, the value per dollar far outweighs that of commercial flights especially when it comes to convenience and quantity of flyers. Think of it as a moving office where executives rent the entire plane per hour, have complete control over their schedule, can host in-flight meetings, and can accomplish professional projects while enjoying the travel experience.

And with the rise of the global economy and start-up scenes rooting themselves in metropolitan cities, traveling across the country to close a big deal or foster new business relationships has become routine.   

Here is a look at the top four cities where big business is an active component in curating the type of professionals that visit and the cultural nuances of each that extend far beyond the boardroom. You may just be inspired to hop on a private jet charter the next time you find yourself booking a flight to each one of these destinations.

Best Cities for Big Business

Las Vegas

We all know the saying too well, “What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas.” But there has been a resurgence of the downtown area that has been putting Vegas on the global business map.

Given it’s location-based advantage, the Las Vegas Downtown area is a gentrified tech neighborhood only two miles from the glitzy Las Vegas Strip. The redevelopment of the area has in most part been led by one man, Tony Hsieh, CEO of Zappos – who personally invested $350 million into what he calls “the Downtown Project” to make the corporate headquarters of Zappos more employee friendly.

The original vision for the investment was that Downtown Las Vegas could be a place where Zappos employees would want to live, work and play. However, in the years between drawing-board and live iteration, the initial investment has gone a long way, with the Downtown Project being able to boast the following portfolio:

• 100 properties
• $200 million in acquisitions
• 58  acres of prime land
• 1000 apartments
• 1000 hotel/motel units
• 215,000 square feet of retail space
• 130,000 square feet of office space

In addition, the Downtown Project bought the rights to First Friday, a monthly community arts festival, and became a direct investor for the Life is Beautiful Festival, which attracted 60,000 people in its inaugural year.

Having fixed most of what signaled a downturn in the Las Vegas economy, the Downtown Project has become instrumental in generating revenue for shops, restaurants and hotels in the area, so much so, investors are flocking to take part in the endeavor. If you’re planning a business trip which also encompasses leisure, you’ll most likely find yourself dealing with the Downtown Project and its many facets of Vegas allure.

Miami

Let’s say you’re already thinking about the beaches and the waves you’re going to catch in Miami – what else makes this beautiful coastal city prime for all manner of business? A generic answer may just be, “The People”. The people of Miami-Dade mostly have strong ties to Latin America and view Miami as an extension of their home countries.

In 2016, local businesses that depend on money from abroad, primarily from tourists, are bracing themselves for a rough year. However, industries which rely on locals expect strong growth. Jose Goyanes, a businessman who owns two stores in downtown Miami tells us, “I’ve seen this maybe three times [before] where we completely lost the Latin American consumer due to the strength of the dollar […] If the dollar is strong, they’re not going to come here and spend, unless they’re super-wealthy.”

Despite the bleak outlook for out-of-towners, locals still manage to support and help small- and medium-sized businesses thrive and grow. In fact, there’s a contrary opinion regarding Miami, claiming it as the second most popular financial hub in the country, following New York City.

The Miami Downtown Development Authority is doing the best it can to attract investors. The most recent example of this is that Mark Spitznagel, founder of Universa Investment hedge fund, was rumored to have bought a Miami condo. With the growing Latino market, moving your business to Miami means capitalizing on the Latin American client base.

And if the demographic isn’t motivating enough, maybe the tax incentives will fortify consideration. In Florida, there are no individual taxes, no estate taxes and no capital gains taxes. If you’re an investor reporting $1 million in income, you only pay the federal government, while your contemporaries in New York pay an extra $104,300 and $67,000 respectively.

Even if you don’t see a place with so many beaches and a general air of relaxation as an area where you can participate in big business – your wallet surely does. And we figure, maybe it’s about time you listen to it.

New York City

It used to be the case that if you wanted to start a technology company, you would have to move to Silicon Valley. However, nowadays there are emerging entrepreneurial hubs all over the United States, particularly in New York with the rise of Silicon Alley. So what makes New York so great for start-ups and doing business in general?

Firstly, the breadth of views on how business works, offered by the eclectic mix of industries and the intermingling of individuals within them. Many entrepreneurs come from having once worked at one of these established companies only to realize they could provide a solution to a daunting industry problem.   

Secondly, New York has a strong history of being a good incubator and growth accelerator for start ups. For instance, in the late 90s when the Silicon Alley iteration of New York was emerging, DoubleClick , a New York based firm, that sold to Google for $3 billion.

Thirdly, the history of investment in New York and the current economic environment, mean that many people who want to enter companies can do so as angel investors and mentor first-time-entrepreneurs.

If you’re looking to sink your teeth into worthwhile business ventures, this may be the best city to make a deal or even permanently set up shop.

San Francisco

San Francisco has come to be synonymous with all of the technology companies who chose to put their headquarters in the city – most famously Google, Apple, Oracle and Facebook.

With the city being a key contributor to global changes as far as all things tech and business are concerned, it becomes difficult to separate where the companies stop and the city begins. However, since most business is carried out with at least one of San Francisco’s high profiled companies, it’s worth taking a look at which is the best to work for, and by extension, do business with.

1. Fitbit – This company is known for providing the world with activity trackers and wireless wearable devices. The perks at the headquarters include free on-site gym classes, snacks at the company’s cafeteria, Happy Hour on Fridays, and a healthy salary.
2. Dolby Laboratories – The company was established in 1959 and is mainly known for its noise reduction, audio encoding and audio compression. The main perk is being able to view early screenings of movies in the company’s screening rooms.
3. DoubleDutch – It’s an award-winning social event app that was founded in 2011. The company encourages a creative work environment, with perks including burritos, coffee, stock options, Happy Hour, concert tickets and paid-for travel expenses.

Each of the four cities present great opportunities to work and play. As business is looking up, each destination is constantly reinventing themselves in order to offer those that work hard the amenities to play just as hard.  

Las Vegas, Miami, New York and San Francisco are not only sources of great business development, but also places that craft memorable leisure experiences. If you’re heading to any of these cities to firm up a partnership or close your next big deal, don’t forget to arrive in comfort and style by chartering your flight with Air Charter Service.