Is there an event that is triggered when one of the yellow quest (or resource) dots appear on the mini map?

The only one I could think might be it is WORLD_MAP_UPDATE. If you want to test for yourself, install Iriel's DevTools, pop open the event watcher (/dtevents) and then go do whatever is necessary to trigger the event, and look through the event log at that point to see if there is an event with the information you're interested in.

No, they're done after the game UI has executed and are done in such a way that you cannot check for when they appear, the only method that does work is scaling the minimap down to 0.1 and moving it under your mouse and checking tooltips.

Thanks guys, was just looking to make something to play a sound when a dot comes up so I don't have to stare at the minimap while i'm flying around farming, might be out of my league though.