Make way for another round of six-minute quickies with ad execs. NABS Canada has announced that its 2012 Speed Mentoring event is set to take place on March 27 at Toronto’s BerBer Lounge.

During the two-and-a-half-hour evening event, young professionals from all walks of the industry will engage in unadulterated conversation with top-notch marketing execs about the inner workings of the biz.

The goal is to provide attending mentees with the chance to solicit advice from leaders in media, creative, sales and research, Cynthia Steele, NABS ambassador and senior media buyer/planner at Endeavour, tells MiC, adding that it provides a rare opportunity for them to pick the brains of those they typically would not have access to.

“[The] event is a rare opportunity to ask the questions that you might not feel comfortable talking to your current employer about,” she says. “[And it’s a] fun way to learn where the industry can take you and unique viewpoints on how to reach your career goals.”

The 2010 launch event was a sold out night and in response to the overwhelming reception, NABS decided to bring in ten additional mentors and broaden the list to include research leaders, as that area is increasingly becoming important with regards to ROI, explains Steele.

She explains that the type of media conversations that take place during the evening event include mid-level planners speaking with presidents about the characteristics they look for in rising stars, as well as sales people talking with media leaders on how to determine better approaches to sales and sharing insights as to what makes clients tick.

Media gurus participating this year include Jeff Roach, group account director at Cossett; Matt Di Paolo, chief strategy & innovation officer at Mediacom; Brenda Bookbinder, VP, group director at PHD; and Robin Hassan, VP digital at Starcom Mediavest Group.

Those who are interested in attending the 2012 Speed Mentoring event can register at Nabs.org.