With the opening of the Innes Conference and Business Centre, Sonora Resort joins the front-runners in offering sophisticated meeting environments in the midst of unspoiled wilderness.

The British Columbian outpost hugs the coast of Sonora Island between Vancouver Island and the Canadian mainland. High-flying arrival options include by Learjet to nearby Campbell River, by seaplane, and by Sonora’s own helicopter. Those who want a taste of things to come on the water can take a spectacular one-hour boat ride from Campbell River to Sonora in one of the resort’s state-of-the-art cruising vessels.

Completed in 2006, the 4,500-square-foot Innes Conference Centre offers flexible arrangements in five leatherchaired meeting rooms and breakout spaces. Communications tools include wired and wireless high-speed Internet access, portable white boards, high-resolution LCD projectors, and retractable screens.

The new meeting spaces augment the classic Longhouse Conference Centre, whose upper level seats groups of up to 80 in the tradition of the First Nations people—on comfortable bench-style seating around a central fire. Downstairs, the ground floor’s banquet room seats up to 50 for dinner or 80 theater style. Groups utilizing 70 guest rooms or more can have the entire resort to themselves.

Meeting coordinators ensure seamless food service, take care of special needs, and arrange teambuilding activities.A meeting-specific menu ranges from “working” to “adventurous,” including boxed lunches for those heading into the wilderness. Cocktails and gourmet tapas on the Grill Deck at sunset segue to five-course dining in the Tyee Room.

Between meetings, adventure calls in the form of salmon fishing aboard one of ten Grady Whites. Adventurers tour by boat or kayak, or touch down for fly-fishing in locations accessible only by helicopter. Guided hikes often include bear sightings from the security of ten-foot-high stands. Golfers thrill to play the nearby 18-hole Storey Creek course—frequently cited on Golf Digest’s Places to Play list and Score’s Top 100 Golf Courses in Canada.

In the evening, golfers can practice in the games room on two golf simulators with 12-foot screens. Meanwhile, others can unwind with billiards, shuffleboard, or a movie in the 12-seat THX theater. Another option, the Wellness Centre, provides complimentary access to a gym and mineral pools as well as luxurious therapies in a full-service spa.

Comfort makes up the common denominator among the 11 individually designed guest lodges. Shared lounge areas feature soaring ceilings, stone fireplaces, and state-of-the-art entertainment centers.