EXCUSES for getting out of meetings and conferences are becoming more common and more imaginative especially among men.

Conference organisers urgently need to find creative solutions to stop "meetings-avoidance syndrome" , according to findings in a poll carried out on behalf of National Meetings Week, which runs from October 6 to 11.

The research reveals how widespread "justified skiving" has become.

The proportion of organisers of meetings who think that at least a third or more of their delegates have told tall stories to get out of attendance is 61 per cent.

This includes 18 per cent who think that at least two-thirds of delegates persistently make excuses.

The more meetings people are required to go to, the higher the incidence of "occupational fibbing".

At least half of participants try to find reasons not to go to between three and five of the external meetings they ought to attend each year.

Eighty per cent of people planing such events think meetings evasion is on the increase and 72 per cent believe men are the worst culprits. Excuses are also becoming more creative.

Examples include "a blackbird is nesting in my car and the eggs are about to hatch", "my chauffeur has just quit" and "my cat hid the car keys".

To excuse lateness, participants use explanations including "it's quicker to get to France than north London", and "I'm acting as 'phone-a-friend' on Who Wants to be a Millionaire".

The most curious excuse came from a man who claimed to fear confined spaces, so he would not attend an event in a room with more than five chairs, regardless of how large the conference room was.

Ideas for encouraging people to attend meetings range from offering a bonus or some other incentive for being there, the guarantee of good speakers and the promise of something new to be heard.

National Meetings Week co-ordinator Martin Lewis said: "The collective goal of the industry must be to ensure that meetings are perceived to be "wish to attend" rather than "seek to avoid" events.