IN APRIL OF THIS YEAR, Fisher’s Loft (an inn in Port Rexton) opened a 7,000 square foot executive conference centre. Spurred on by the economic renaissance driven by the oil and gas sector, owners John and Peggy Fisher visited some of the best conference centres in the U.S., U.K., and Canada, and conducted extensive prebuild research.

Innovation came into play early in the game. Although the Fishers wanted to build a multi-million dollar facility, their budget was much more modest. Solution? They formed their own construction company made up of local, unemployed boat builders. They ended up with a resourceful team who came up with ingenious solutions at a fraction of the cost compared to importing trades people from urban centres over three hours away.

Also worthy of note: the plenary space is equipped with state-of-the-art technical support; large glass doors allow groups to see each other and feel they are part of the big picture, yet, it also provides private settings for individual work; emphasis is placed on location and culture through architecture, original art works, and focus on the natural environment.

In 2012, the conference centre generated 600 room nights of bookings at the inn. Based on current bookings, the Fishers project 1,000 room nights for this season.

THE MUCH ANTICIPATED NEW ST. JOHN’S CONVENTION CENTRE will become a reality in 2016. It not only will add much needed additional conference space, but loading and unloading will become a whole lot easier as transport trucks and delivery vehicles will be able to have direct access to the ballroom and kitchen. The latter will be state-of-the-art and capable of serving up to 1,300 hot meals in 15 minutes, and 2,600 meals per day. Other innovative points of interest include: incorporation of the Water Street bus shelter inside the complex; the addition of a pedway to the Delta Hotel; and architectural screens on Waldegrave Street which will be backlit to provide visual interest.