University of Michigan economists will reveal their economic forecast for Washtenaw County at an event Thursday at Washtenaw Community College.

The annual forecast will be delivered at AnnArbor.com Business Review's Ann Arbor-Ypsilanti Regional Business 2 Business EXPO 2012 and Economic Outlook Luncheon on March 29.

The event, organized in collaboration with the Washtenaw Economic Club, will feature talks by U-M economist George Fulton and Michigan Economic Development Corp. CEO Michael Finney. Tickets to the luncheon are required. Visit https://store.wccnet.edu/eclub/.

In March 2011, Fulton and U-M economist Don Grimes projected that Washtenaw County would add 8,000 jobs in 2011, 2012 and 2013.

In November, the economists projected that the state of Michigan would add nearly 31,500 jobs in 2012 and 37,200 in 2013 after adding about 64,200 jobs in 2011.

The B2B Expo, which is free and open to the public, will take place at WCC's Morris Lawrence Building from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. About 40 exhibitors are set to participate in the expo, including firms like A.R. Brouwer Co., Bearclaw Coffee Co., the Ann Arbor Area Convention & Visitors Bureau, Katherine's Catering, Wireless Zone and Comcast Business Class.

Advanced registration is not required, but is encouraged for expeditious entry to the event.

There will also be eight free workshops, including panels on how to optimize your website, formulate a business plan, commercialize innovative ideas, hire talent and handle social media.

Contact AnnArbor.com's Nathan Bomey at (734) 623-2587 or nathanbomey@annarbor.com. You can also follow him on Twitter or subscribe to AnnArbor.com's newsletters.