🎟️ Event Review
📍 Quick Facts
• Event Type: Live Event / Business & Entrepreneurship Celebration
• Location: The Ampersand, 112 4 Avenue SW, Calgary, AB
• Duration: 6 Hours
• Ticket Info: Free with registration
• Parking: On-site parking available for $5
We had a fun afternoon celebrating 20 years of CBC’s Dragons’ Den, and as longtime fans of the show, this was right up our alley.
We’ve watched Dragons’ Den for years, so there’s something a little surreal about standing in the same room as the people entrepreneurs are usually trying desperately to impress. These aren’t just TV personalities — they’re successful business people who know their numbers, ask the tough questions and can choose whether to put their own money behind a business. No wonder walking into the Den is intimidating!
Dragons’ Den Day took over The Ampersand in downtown Calgary, a venue we hadn’t been to before. Getting there was easy, and we were able to park on-site for the special event rate of $5. We weren’t entirely sure where we were going once we got out of the car, but we walked around the corner and spotted the big Ampersand sign and a huge inflatable dragon. Yep, we knew we were in the right place! The excitement level was already rising.
When we first saw the event on social media, we figured it was going to be hugely popular, with thousands of people wanting to get in on the action. So, naturally, we grabbed our tickets fast. When we arrived and saw how small and intimate the event actually was, we were pleasantly surprised. Instead of feeling like we were one tiny face in a massive crowd, it felt like we had scored a pretty special opportunity to get up close to the Den.
With the lay of the land figured out, we headed in to explore The Den, a marketplace featuring products and experiences from past pitchers. There was a little bit of everything, from Umay’s Rest, a high-end device designed to soothe tired eyes, to the Laundry Turtle, a clever collapsible laundry basket. There were also noodle packets, drinks and plenty of other products from businesses we recognized from the show.
It was fun to wander around and see these products up close, especially after watching some of them get pitched to the Dragons on TV. It really brought home how Dragons’ Den works, and how the Dragons have helped many of these entrepreneurs take their ideas out into the real world.
We also got to meet and chat with a couple of the Dragons and catch their talks live on stage. Manjit Minhas recognized my Newfoundland accent right away and complimented it. She told me she had just done a deal with a company from Newfoundland and loved how we sounded. Well, that certainly made this Newfoundlander smile!
Hearing the Dragons talk about business, entrepreneurship, and their experiences on the show was a fun change from watching them from our couch.
The whole event was hosted by Andrew Phung from Kim’s Convenience, which was another fun bonus. He kept things moving and brought plenty of his own personality to the day.
For longtime Dragons’ Den fans like us, it was a pretty great way to spend a Saturday afternoon. We got to see behind the scenes, shop products we’d watched being pitched on television, hear from the Dragons and even have a little Newfoundland connection along the way.
Twenty years in, the Den is still bringing entrepreneurs, ideas and a little bit of excitement together — and we were pretty happy to have our own little taste of it.
📊 Scorecard
- Organization and Flow: 5/5
- Engagement & Content: 5/5
- Location & Venue Comfort: 5/5
- Value for Money: 5/5
- ⭐ Overall Rating: 5/5 Stars
