8 Easter

10 North Port Area Chamber of Commerce Business After Hours networking event, 5:30-7 p.m. at Namack Portfolio Professionals, 2567 N. Toledo Blade Blvd. in North Port. Free. Details at northportareachamber.com.

12 Greater Sarasota Chamber of Commerce Hob Nob, 5-9 p.m. at Phillippi Estate Park, 5500 S. Tamiami Trail, Sarasota. $35 members, $50 nonmembers. Register at sarasotachamber.com.

12 Venice Chamber of Commerce VAYP Mixer, 5:30-7:30 p.m. at the Venice Yacht Club tiki bar, 1330 Tarpon Center Drive, Venice. Free for members, $10 for nonmembers. Details at venicechamber.com.

18 New College of Florida and Global Interdependence Center, “Housing: What’s Next?,” featuring a panel of national experts, 3-5:30 p.m. at Harry Sudakoff Conference Center on the New College campus. $50. Register online at donate.ncf.edu/events, or call (941) 487-4800. Co-sponsored by Biz(941).

18 Greater Sarasota Chamber of Commerce Mega-Mingle, a networking event for nonprofits and businesspeople, 5:30-7:30 p.m. at the Viking Culinary Center, 8130 Lakewood Ranch Main Street, Lakewood Ranch. $5 for members, $10 for nonmembers. For more information, call Megan Gerhart at (941) 556-4031 or email [email protected]

21  Manasota SCORE Start-Up Basics workshop, 9 a.m.-noon at ComCenter, 9040 Town Center Parkway, Lakewood Ranch. Free. Register at manasota.score.org or (941) 955-1029.

22 Earth Day

Make time to celebrate the Earth’s natural environment.

25  Manatee Chamber of Commerce Young Professionals MYPower Networking Luncheon, 11:45 a.m.-1 p.m. at Retro City, 1001 Third Ave. W., Bradenton. $12 members, $17 nonmembers. Limited to first 45 RSVPs; email Kimberly Henly at [email protected].

 

Trendspotter

Tablet computers are the top business technology trend this year, with half of U.S. midsize and larger organizations expecting to increase their investments in this technology in 2012.

SOURCE: Baselinemagazine’s 2012 Top Ten Business Trends survey.

 

Reader Meter

“Should the U.S. Supreme Court uphold the affordable healthcare law’s individual mandate?”

Yes 48%

No 52%

SOURCE: Biz(941) reader poll.