DRAGONS’ DEN AUDITION TOUR COMMENCES IN PREPARATION OF NEW SEASON

Cross-country auditions begin Feb. 11, 2017 in Toronto

It’s time for all aspiring entrepreneurs to get their business pitches ready for a chance to be a part of DRAGONS’ DEN’s incredible 12^th season on CBC. This February, producers will once again head coast to coast on a multi-city audition tour in search of the country’s best businesses in need of a Dragon investment.

As in previous years, auditions will be open to the public, kicking-off in Toronto on Feb. 11 in the Barbara Frum Atrium at CBC’s Toronto headquarters (250 Front Street West). A full list of audition dates and cities are listed below, and venues can be found online via the DRAGONS’ DEN website (cbc.ca/dragonsden/auditions).

The audition tour welcomes participants of all ages, with businesses at any stage of development. Hopeful entrepreneurs should prepare to pitch their concept to the DRAGONS' DEN producers in five minutes or less. If they show the producers they have what it takes to pitch in the Den, they could be invited to Toronto to face the Dragons. Prospective pitchers are encouraged to apply online and bring a completed application form to the audition.

Producers will be on the lookout for entrepreneurs in the following cities:

• Feb. 11, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. – Toronto, ON at CBC Toronto (250 Front Street)
• Feb. 15, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. – Fort McMurray, AB at Radisson Fort McMurray (435 Gregoire Dr.)
• Feb. 15, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. – Richmond, BC at Kwantlen Polytechnic University, Richmond Campus (8771 Lansdowne Rd)
• Feb. 15,10 a.m. to 5 p.m. – North Bay, ON at Canadore College (100 College Drive)
• Feb. 16, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. – Edmonton, AB at MacEwan University (10910 104 Ave NW) in the Robbins Health Learning Centre (Building Nine)
• Feb. 17, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. – Nanaimo, BC at Best Western Dorchester Hotel (70 Church Street)
• Feb. 17, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. – Windsor, ON at Windsor-Essex Regional Chamber of Commerce (2575 Ouellette Place)
• Feb. 18, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. – Calgary, AB at Mount Royal University (4825 Mount Royal Gate SW) in EA Building/ Faculty of Arts
• Feb. 18, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. – London, ON at The Windermere Manor (200 Collip Circle)
• Feb. 18, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. – Vancouver, BC at Century Plaza (1015 Burrard Street)
• Feb. 22, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. – Collingwood, ON at Blue Mountain Resorts (110 Jozo Weider Blvd), use Entrance #3
• Feb. 23, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. – Belleville, ON at Loyalist College (376 Wallbridge-Loyalist Road) in classroom 2H10
• Feb. 24, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. – Kingston, ON at Ambassador Hotel & Conference Centre (1550 Princess Street)
• Feb. 25, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. – Barrie, ON at Georgian College (1 Georgian Drive) in the M Building
• Feb. 25, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. – Montreal, QC, La Citadelle residence (410 Sherbrooke Street West) in the third floor conference rooms
• Feb. 25, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. – Ottawa, ON at Courtyard by Marriott Ottawa Downtown (350 Dalhousie Street)
• March 1, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. – Grand Prairie, AB at Holiday Inn Hotel & Suites Grande Prairie-Conference Centre (9816 107 Street)
• March 1, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. – Oshawa, ON at Durham College (2000 Simcoe Street North)
• March 2, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. – Fredericton, NB at Crowne Plaza (659 Queen Street Fredericton)
• March 3, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. – Abbotsford, BC at Quality Hotel & Conference Centre (36035 North Parallel Road)
• March 3, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. – Charlottetown, PE at CBC PEI (430 University Avenue)
• March 4, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. – Halifax, NS at CEED Centre for Entrepreneurship Education and Development (7071 Bayers Road)
• March 4, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. – Hamilton, ON at Mohawk College (135 Fennell Ave. W) in Room i109
• March 4, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. – Vancouver, BC at Century Plaza (1015 Burrard Street)
• March 9, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. – Waterloo, ON at Crowne Plaza Kitchener-Waterloo (105 King Street E.)
• March 9, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. – Kelowna, BC at Okanagan College, Kelowna Campus (1000 KLO Road) in the Centre For Learning - E building
• March 11, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. – Calgary, AB at Mount Royal University (4825 Mount Royal Gate SW) in EA Building/ Faculty of Arts
• March 11, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. – Victoria, BC at Victoria Marriott Inner Harbour (728 Humboldt St)
• March 15, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. – Guelph, ON at Delta Hotels Guelph Conference Centre (50 Stone Road West)
• March 17, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. – Quebec City, QC at Morrin Centre (44 Chaussée des Écossais)
• March 18 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. – Montreal, QC, La Citadelle residence (410 Sherbrooke Street West) in the third floor conference rooms
• March 22, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. – Regina, SK at DoubleTree by Hilton Regina (1975 Broad St.)
• March 24, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. – Saskatoon, SK at University of Saskatchewan (#129 – 116 Research Drive) in the Wilson Catalyst Centre
• March 25, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. – Niagara Falls, ON at Scotiabank Convention Centre (6815 Stanley Avenue) in Meeting Room 206
• March 25, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. – Winnipeg, MB at CBC Manitoba (541 Portage Ave)
• April 1, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. – Toronto, ON at CBC Toronto (250 Front Street)

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About DRAGONS’ DEN

DRAGONS’ DEN is one of the most successful Canadian unscripted programs and is currently in its 11th season. In addition to its success on air, DRAGONS’ DEN is also a hit online, boasting an active and engaged online community and averaging more than 450,000 page views per month. Full episodes and exclusive behind-the-scenes content can be viewed at cbc.ca/dragonsden. DRAGONS’ DEN is filmed at the CBC Broadcasting Centre in Toronto and airs Wednesdays at 8 p.m. (8:30 NT) on CBC Television. Tracie Tighe is executive producer and Amy Bourne is senior producer. Dianne Buckner hosts.

Find the show online at:

cbc.ca/dragonsden

facebook.com/dragonsden

@cbcdragon #cbcdragonsden

About CBC/Radio-Canada

CBC/Radio-Canada is Canada’s national public broadcaster and one of its largest cultural institutions. We are Canada’s trusted source of news, information and Canadian entertainment. Deeply rooted in communities all across the country, CBC/Radio-Canada offers diverse content in English, French and eight Indigenous languages. We also provide international news and information from a uniquely Canadian perspective. In 2017, CBC/Radio-Canada will be at the heart of the celebrations and conversations with special 2017-themed multiplatform programming and events across Canada.

For more information including series synopses, press releases, hi-res images, video clips and bios, please visit the CBC Media Centre at cbc.ca/mediacentre @CBC_Publicity.