Event Notices From July 1

Capital Area IT Council to meet: The Capital Area IT Council will hold a member meeting Thursday, July 16 from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Michigan Technical Education Center at Lansing Community College's West Campus, 5708 Cornerstone Drive in Lansing. The meeting will feature a presentation on agile software development practices.  A panel of subject area experts from the Capital Area IT Council will explain how the whole agile movement came about, how agile compares to other software development methodologies, what's actually involved in implementing an agile approach, and much, much more. If you plan on attending, please RSVP by contacting Chris Knapp at (517) 492-5592 or cknapp@camw.net.  This is free for IT Council members and $25 for nonmembers, which can be applied toward IT Council membership if your organization decides to join.

HDI Motown offering ITIL Foundations course: HDI Motown will offer its sixth ITIL Foundations course Aug. 24-26 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day at a significant discount to market price of $999 to $1,699. ITIL is considered the best practice framework for IT service management. It comprises a series of books and information which provide guidance on the quality provision of IT services. A course by Hines Consulting Group will serve as preparation for the certification test (not included). Certification testing may be scheduled through any authorized Prometric testing facility under the “EXIN testing program” for a nominal fee. Locally New Horizons of Michigan offers the testing at their facilities. The class will be held at the Volkswagen offices in Auburn Hills at an HDI member price of $300, plus an additional $25 for each student from the same company. Non-member pricing is $450 plus $25. Payment is due Aug. 14 by check to HDI Motown Chapter. Credit cards are also accepted through PayPal to “president@hdimotown.com”. To register, www.hdimotown.com/meetings.htm.

Help Desk Institute to meet July 10: The Motown chapter of the Help Desk Institute will meet Friday, July 10 on the topic "Finding the Right Candidates & Securing a Job in a Tough Economic Climate." The meeting will be held from 1 to 4 p.m. at the Comerica Auburn Hills Operations Center, 3701 Hamlin Road. The event is free and open to anyone in or interested in the IT service and support industry. The presenters are Gideon Brewer & Marisa Eubank of Brooksource and Technical Youth IT staff augmentation. There's also a Starbucks gift card door prize. More at www.hdimotown.com. 

TechTown, Wayne State University's technology business incubator, announced three events for July.

First is the monthly First Friday session, which due to the Independence Day holiday was pushed back to Friday, July 10 from 4 to 6 p.m. Along with the usual networking with hundreds of other professionals, the event features great food and entertainment outdoors. For more information and to RSVP for this event, visit http://events.wayne.edu/techtown/view/17126/date/72768/.

TechTown will host the monthly Faith-Based Business Forum Tuesday, July 14 from 9 to 10:30 a.m. Leaders of small- to mid-sized places of worship in Detroit have a unique opportunity to develop effective business skills through TechTown's Faith-Based Business Forum. Speaker Dwayne Carson, Director of Operations, IC Data Communications, will address how non-profits can take advantage of technology in a down economy. For more information and to RSVP for this event, visit  http://events.wayne.edu/techtown/view/14183/date/51725/

Finally,TechTown will sponsor another FastTrac to the Future event Saturday, July 25 at the McGregor Memorial Conference Center, Wayne State University. If you weren't able to attend the booked-solid June 24 event, join us July 25 for a free full-day conference to receive guidance and resources to help you on your entrepreneurial adventure. Keynote speaker Christopher Gardner will share his inspiring story. Gardner is the owner and CEO of Gardner Rich LLC with offices in New York, Chicago, and San Francisco. Conquering grave challenges to become a successful entrepreneur, Gardner is an avid motivational and aspirational speaker, addressing the keys to overcoming obstacles and breaking cycles. This highly interactive conference also features Curbside Consulting, where every attendee will have the chance to pitch their idea to an expert in a relaxed, informal setting. In addition, there are 12 different session topics on entrepreneurship including IP do's and don'ts, bootstrapping your business, what your role in a startup should be and more. Attendees will have the opportunity to sign up that day for FastTrac, award-winning programs for entrepreneurs developed by the Kauffman Foundation. Seating is limited, so register soon at http://wayne.edu/fasttrac/.