It was the breakout hit of last year’s Canadian Media Directors’ Council conference and it’s back for another year: the CMDC’s ‘Dragons’ Den.’

The pitch session, modelled after the CBC show, is an opportunity for media entrepreneurs to present their ideas to a panel of media industry executives. The panel then has an opportunity to ask questions of the presenters, and then weigh in on the validity of the idea, and even offer up a business card if they’re particularly impressed.

The 2010 CMDC featured the inaugural ‘Dragons’ Den’ session, capping off an information-intensive morning with the fun and spontaneous session. The judging panel consisted of 58Ninety’s Ted Boyd, M2’s Sara Hill, Molson Coors’ Judy Davey and then-Starcom CEO Lauren Richards, who has since moved to her new position as CEO of Media Experts. The highlight of the session was an augmented reality presentation by Nova Scotia’s Ad-Dispatch, which had the crowd audibly impressed, with oohs and aahs filling the room.

If you’re a media entrepreneur with a CMDC-worthy idea, submissions for the 2011 conference are open until Jan. 31. You must submit a 350-word or less summary of your idea, including what it is, who it targets, how it works, why it’s new and what kind of clients might like it.

The CMDC conference takes place March 9 at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre.

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