• Today: Michigan Energy Forum: Advanced Energy Storage. 5-7 p.m. SPARK Central, 330 E. Liberty St., Ann Arbor. Michigan's strength in the low carbon future will be standing on the shoulders of our manufacturing heritage. The coming $5.7 billion of investment in the advanced energy storage - or battery - industry demonstrates understanding our legacy and using it to drive our future. Come listen and learn why 16 new advanced energy storage companies are basing or growing themselves in Michigan. The mission of the forum is to facilitate collaboration and networking among practitioners, policymakers, investors and talent. Suggestions on topics and speakers for future events welcome. Free. Click here for more information.

• Today: Conservation District Budget Approval. 8 p.m. Washtenaw County Conservation District, 7203 Jackson Road, Ann Arbor. The proposed budget of the Washtenaw County Conservation District for the fiscal year beginning Oct. 1 will be finalized and approved by the District Board of Directors at their regular monthly at the district office. The public is invited to comment on the proposed budget at this time. Free. Copies of the proposed budget are available at the district office at 7203 Jackson Road, Ann Arbor. For more information, call 734-761-6721 ext. 5.

• Tuesday: Small Business Seminar. 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Eagle Crest Conference Center, 1275 S. Huron St., Ypsilanti. U.S. Rep John D. Dingell and Eastern Michigan University sponsor this small business seminar. Get free advice on how to grow your small business from the Department of Commerce, Department of Homeland Security, Internal Revenue Service, Small Business Administration, Michigan Economic Development Corporation & The Defense Contract Coordination Center, The Michigan Small Business and Technology Development Center, The Michigan Procurement Technical Assistance Center and Ann Arbor SPARK. Free. RSVP to Jeremy Keeney at 313-278-2936 or jeremy.keeney@mail.house.gov.

• Wednesday: BioArbor: Why I Invested in Michigan. 5-7 p.m. SPARK Central, 330 E. Liberty St., Ann Arbor. Brinks Hofer Gilson & Lione, MichBio and Ann Arbor SPARK sponsor an informative discussion about investing in local life science companies from the perspective of professional investors. A panel of three experienced venture capitalists who have backed local early stage companies will present their perspective on investing in life science startups. Topics will include what they are looking for in investment opportunities, how they evaluate deals, and opinions on investing in Michigan as opposed to outside the Midwest. Free. Click here for more information.

• Wednesday: Social Media with That Whole Brain Goodness. 9 a.m.-noon. The Whole Brain Group LLC, 109 E. Ann St., Ann Arbor. Speaker: Marisa Smith. It's easy to set up accounts on LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter, but sometimes hard to know what to do with them. You may have been to an overview session where you learned "everything you need to know about social media" in a 60-minute session with 50 other people, and then left frustrated and overwhelmed. Or maybe you felt empowered, went and set up your accounts and then waited for the business to pour in, only to hear crickets chirping. After taking the summer off we will jump back in for the school year with a new series of Whole Brain Group Social Media classes in September. $495 for all three, three-hour sessions; $25 off for registering by Ann Arbor/Ypsi Chamber members. Use "CHAMBER" at checkout. Workshop meets for three hours on three consecutive Wednesdays - Sept. 8, 15 and 22. For more information, visit http://www.annarborusa.org/events/details?e=10506.

• Wednesday: LA2M's Back after Summer Break: Facebook Advertising. 11:45 a.m.-1 p.m. Conor O'Neill's Traditional Irish Pu, 318 S. Main St. Hosted by Lunch Ann Arbor Marketing, speaker Meaghan McCann of Search Ad Marketing will cover the basics and introduce some advanced strategies. The availability of personal information on social networks is changing the landscape of Internet advertising. Leading the pack is Facebook whose program helps advertisers; create social credibility, build brands to a relevant audience and earn significant ROI all while providing users a customized social network experience. http://www.la2m.org/events.

• Sept. 9: CocoaHeads: Mac OS X Security. 7-9 p.m. SRT Solutions, 206 S. Fifth Ave., Suite 200, Ann Arbor. Speaker: Mac OS X Security: Jeffrey Czerniak will talk about strategies for practicing safe computing, discuss common coding mistakes that lead to security vulnerabilities, and demonstrate how you can use fuzzing to improve your application's security. In addition, Vectorform will present on who they are, what they do, and who they are looking to hire. Free. Click here for more information.

• Sept. 9: Entrepreneur Luncheon Seminar for Business Owners and Entrepreneurs. 11 a.m.-1 p.m. Sandler Training Center, 501 Avis Drive, Ann Arbor. This is a two-hour in-depth look at the sales process that highlights how most prospects buy, how most companies sell, and why there are so many problems. This luncheon will address a system of selling that takes the pressure off selling for business owners. $91. Advanced registration is required at https://secure.sandler.com/eventcalendar. For more information about this and other workshops, contact Sandler Training Center - Ann Arbor at 734-821-4830 or e-mail joe@marrsales.com.

• Sept. 9: NetWorks!: Extreme NetWorking! - Making Your Connections Count. 11:30-1 p.m. Outback Steakhouse, 3173 Oak Valley Drive, Ann Arbor. The next evolution of the popular “Power NetWorks!” This structured networking event will provide you with a minimum of 20 new business contacts. This interactive program helps you make connection and learn valuable information about area businesses. You will not want to miss this event - good connections, exciting prizes, great food and fun. $25 for chamber members, $35 for prospective members. Please pre-register by noon on Sept. 8 at http://www.a2ychamber.org/events/details/networks.html For more information, contact Katie Jones at 734-214-0105.

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