Mike Macri III may soon notice  a lot of people being extra  nice to him as word gets out  about the types of gifts he gives people  close to him.

Over the past six months, Macri, an  agent with Ferguson Commercial Real  Estate Services, has presented friends,  family and clients with gifts such as  private cooking classes and dinner on a  yacht in Hawaii.

“Instead of sending people you  know a flower at Christmas or giving a  client something cheesy like a pen or a  T-shirt, why not give them something  that they’ll remember?” Macri said.

Macri was introduced to the art of  giving memorable gifts last year by a  friend, Jason Patocka, who runs a local  business called Omnia. Patocka’s business  specializes in “gift experiences,”  which range from extravagant international  trips such as flying to the edge of  space on a jet, on down to more affordable  local options.

The first gift Macri purchased last  May was local in nature: a culinary  course with a Des Moines chef. It  involved spending about five hours  with Tony Lemmo from Café di Scala for  a class on traditional Calabrese cuisine.  Macri thought that the experience  would be perfectly suited to his client,  who is proud of his Italian heritage and  enjoys cooking. Choosing a perfect gift  in this case was aided by the fact that  Macri knew his client well: It was his  father, Mike Macri Jr. The younger Macri  handles the commercial listings for his  father, a real estate developer.

“I always try to do something for  my clients upon completion of a  deal,” Macri said.”Jason was telling me  about this concept, and it sounded  like a great thing to do because my  parents love to cook.”

Mike Macri Jr. and his wife,Audrey,  took Lemmo’s cooking class together,  and they haven’t stopped talking  about it since.

“My father was from Italy, and growing  up, Italian cooking was always a big  part of my family get-togethers,” Mike Macri Jr. said. “Audrey is a good cook, but there are some things my grandma used to make that we could  never get to taste quite the same as Grandma’s cooking.  Since the class, I’ve told Audrey many times that  she has hit the ‘grandma mark.'”

Audrey said watching Lemmo make sauces and prepare  food gave her some ideas for how to tweak her  own recipes. And she is pleased with the results.

“We’ve had some fabulous family dinners since  then,” she said.”I found out that just a few ‘little touches’went  a long way in changing the taste of my sauce.”

The gift left such an impression on the couple that  they recently purchased a similar experience as an auction  item for an upcoming fund raiser for Dowling  Catholic High School.

In addition, Mike Macri III liked the effect of the gift  so much that he has hired Patocka to arrange other  gifts.When a good friend of his recently honeymooned  in Hawaii, he surprised the friend and his new bride  with dinner aboard a yacht. He and Patocka are also  making plans for other gifts.

When Patocka, an Okoboji native, started Omnia a  little over a year ago, originally calling the business  White Spade, his focus was on private clients such as  Macri. Today, he is expanding the business to include  corporate clients. Patocka wants companies to add his  services as a voluntary employee benefit to enable people  to save up for their “dream” experience. He says  companies would add matching dollars to their  employees’ accounts and possibly contribute additional  money as employees meet goals.

Recently, the managing partner of a West Des  Moines law firm, which asked to remain anonymous  until the gift experience is redeemed,purchased one of  Omnia’s experiences for an employee in recognition of  her dedicated service.The focus of the gift is a weekend  stock car racing driving excursion in Kansas City.

“It can be hard here in Iowa to retain talent, and this  is something employers can do to set themselves  apart,” Patocka said.

Patocka said he isn’t discouraged by the fact that  surveys show that employees are most concerned  about health-care benefits and 401(k) plans when they  evaluate benefits packages.

“Health care and retirement are rainy-day funds,” he  said. “But frankly, retirement is only about 20 percent  of your whole life.You have this other 80 percent that  you have to live with, and you should have rewards  along the way.”

So what is Patocka’s idea of a dream experience? A  trip to Japan to watch a sumo wrestling tournament.  He has it listed on his Web site as a possible gift experience,  in case anyone else might share the same  dream. He has tried to include something for everyone  on the site, such as private lessons with World Series of  Poker champions and fly fishing in Montana with an  expert angler. Patocka said Omnia is in the process of  revamping its Web site, www.experienceomnia.com,  which should relaunch later this month.

“A lot of the ideas come from talking with people  about their dreams and what they want to accomplish,”  he said.”I think everyone should have a ‘Make-AWish’  dream come true.”