Be Spoiled in the Unspoiled Wilderness
Charm, character, cuisine, and calm – Sonora Resort dazzled guests on their annual incentive trip. Due to unprecedented forest fires off the coast, as opposed to the planed floatplane transfer, guests were flown in from Vancouver by private 737 plane and then whisked to the island by water taxi and treated to the magic of the West Coast.
Objective
Dazzle 75 guests in an annual incentive trip that nobody would forget! Honouring a worldwide corporation’s 60 premier partners, sophisticated business owners who sell their products to consumers, was a tall order to fill. Rare Indigo managed the full program logistics from arrival to departure, group and individual activities as well as evening events for their program in Vancouver and Sonora.
Project Logistics:
To capture the magic of the West Coast, guests travelled between Vancouver and Sonora, a luxury wilderness resort, by float plane. A truly Canadian experience, floatplanes provided the shortest transit time and most spectacular views of the Discovery Islands. As only a few floatplanes could depart at a time and they have a limited capacity, optional activities were organized in both Vancouver and Sonora to insure that guests weren’t just waiting to travel at any point in the day.
The Challange
Even the most perfect plans go awry. A hot, dry Vancouver summer resulted in a series of fires that blanketed the region in a haze of smoke making it impossible to fly by floatplane or helicopter to Sonora.
Action Taken
The Rare Indigo team leapt into action. Within 24 hours, we were able to secure a private 737 plane to fly them from Vancouver to Campbell River – the nearest community with an airport. From the airport, guests were whisked by local water taxis to Sonora.
Result
The greatest challenge became the greatest experience of the trip. The group reveled in their West Coast experience, complete with local fishermen guides and colourful commentary of the area, on their journey to Sonora Resort.
Praise
“I have been doing this a long time and even I have to admit what we achieved in the manner in which we achieved it was pretty impressive. The client trusted us to get this done. We trusted the client to take timely decisions based on the reality of the situation and we trusted Rare Indigo to find a way to deliver the way we needed to deliver. It worked and in spades. Arguably the actual delivered experience was a better experience than the one we envisaged.”
Peter Jackson, Group Travel Director, Red e2 Limited, UK (agency meeting planner)