Whether it's loyal tourists or entrepreneurs, it can be the culture as much as the climate in Southwest Florida that brings people back for repeated or permanent stays. "A lot of destinations have beautiful and spectacular beaches, granted not as nice as ours," said Virginia Haley, president of Visit Sarasota County. "The cultural and sporting events, and being able to go to Myakka for the day, that's where we compete."

The topic was discussed at the most recent installment of SRQ Media Group's SB2 series. This event, which focused upon International Tourism and Business, was held Thursday at Francis and convened a panel of tourism and economic development officials.

Elliott Falcione, executive director of the Bradenton Area Convention and Visitors Bureau, said segments like sports are important in attracting visitors to the region for extended periods of time. "You bring in the athletes for sports tournaments, and hopefully their parents come in with them," he said. "Once they get here you put our amenities in front of them and then there is a good chance they will be back." In fact, Falcione said, the bureau's research shows 94 percent of visitors who come to Southwest Florida once will make a return visit. The trick for tourism bureaus is getting folks to book that first flight.

Everything from the area's circus heritage (the two-county area is headquarters to Feld Entertainment and Circus Sarasota) and shopping (the country's only enclosed mall to open this year enters its first holiday season at The Mall at University Town Center) plays a role in setting the region apart.

Education facilities, sporting venues and cultural attractions all play a large role in drawing people to town making lasting impressions. Max Stewart, regional manager for International Business for Enterprise Florida, said the work being done at Ringling College of Art and Design plays a huge role in economic development, and more needs to be done to attract tech companies here to take advantage. "We have had people at Ringling move to San Francisco to work for Pixar or AOL or to work on the next Grand Theft Auto," he said. "We want more companies with a need for those skills to come here."

But the biggest factor in whether a business locates here remains whether the CEO wants to live here, economic officials said. "When we meet with a business or company that wants to move here, the CEO always has a connection to Sarasota," said Joan McGill, vice president of Business Development for the Economic Development Corporation of Sarasota County. "They have visited or been back again and again, or they vacationed here every Spring Break with their kids and finally get to live here. It's the quality of life that is the biggest decision maker."

The next installmenet of SB2 will focus on the Business of Philanthropy-Effective Practices and Oversight, and will be held Dec. 8 at IMG Academy Golf Club in Bradenton.

SB2