The job market in association meetings management remains tight. And what it takes to get one of those elusive positions is more than an updated résumé. What often matters most are factors such as your network, your visibility, your willingness to consider a broad range of opportunities—and your timing. But job seekers can take heart that employment opportunities for association meeting planners are starting to open up after the worst recession in our lives. Here's what some recent hires did to find work.

When the Society for Biomolecular Sciences, Danbury, Conn., and the Association for Laboratory Automation, Schaumburg, Ill., agreed to merge in July 2010, the new combined organization, the Society for Laboratory Automation and Screening, set out to merge conventions, too. It was a large undertaking to meld two meetings into one in less than 18 months, but when the new convention debuted this past February it exceeded all expectations. Here’s how the SLAS Annual Meeting and Exhibition came to be.

Members of ASAE: The Center for Association Leadership, the International Association of Exhibitions and Events, and the Professional Convention Management Association have offered positive feedback on the creation of a new industrywide hub for virtual meetings content, separated by vertical industry segments. Read more about the new virtual meetings network.

Avoid these seven budgeting mistakes at all costs.

1. Forgetting that history repeats itself. Historical data is valuable. If you don’t track how much regular or decaf coffee your group drinks, whether or not they eat breakfast, if they prefer beer or wine, how can you plan your meals and allocate your food budget correctly? Ask the hotel to confirm how much of each item ordered was consumed, so you have a starting point for next year. Here are six more.

Most associations know that online social networks can be handy tools to spread the word about their meetings and events. But social media can do so much more than market. Join us at 2 P.M. on May 24 for a free webinar that will show you how you can leverage social media to discover the educational content your members are craving, engage and energize your community, build relationships, and even simplify your meeting processes.

Led by social media guru Jeff Hurt, executive vice president, education and engagement, with Velvet Chainsaw Consulting, this highly interactive webinar will provide association meeting managers the tools they need to take advantage of all the benefits social media can offer. Details and registration information will be available soon on our webinars page.