Throughout the academic year, the IAA's Model United Nations team attends a variety of conferences throughout North America. These conferences vary greatly, not only in terms of size, but also exclusively, competitiveness, formality, and general philosophy. Although attendance is always optional, most Model UN members attend between two and four conferences a year. Listed below are the primary conferences that the IAA expects to attend this year.
Name: Northwest Model United Nations-Seattle (NWMUN-Seattle)
Conference Size: 400 - 500
Description: NWMUN is the first conference attended by most delegates in the Pacific Northwest. Formally structured as a training conference, NWMUN offers complimentary delegate training seminars, helpful staff, and a degree of professionalism seldom found in most conferences. Because of this, the IAA highly recommends that new delegates attend this important conference.
Name: University of British Columbia Model United Nations (UBCMUN)
Conference Size: 180 - 250
Description: Most delegate's second conference, UBCMUN offers a change in not only scenery but also pace from NWMUN. Located in downtown Vancouver British Columbia, and home to a vibrant culture and nightlife, UBCMUN is usually identified by most delegates as the most fun of all the conferences in the Model UN Season. While the staff may not be of the same quality as other events, participants can expect an atmosphere of competition from other delegates.
Name: Northwest Model United Nations -Portland (NWMUN-Portland)
Conference Size: 250 - 300
Description: This conference, located in scenic Portland, is a great way to follow up from NWMUN-Seattle. This is one of the smaller conferences, making it a great way to practice skills before heading off to New York for National Model UN. NWMUN-Portland tends to hold committees and craft special events that are not usually seen in the MUN world, which makes it a different experience for delegates used to the standard committee with regular rules of procedure.
Name: National Model United Nations New York (NMUN NY)
Conference Size: 1,800 - 2,200
Description: Although the Model UN world lacks a true competitive structure, if there was a Superbowl for MUN this would almost certainly be it. Split into two sections of around 2000 delegates and partially held in the actual United Nations, NMUN NY is perhaps the most rewarding and competitive conference in the world. However, because of its cost, the IAA does restrict attendance to this conference to only the best delegates on the team.
Note: WWU IAA requests all delegates apply to attend. Because there are only a specific number of spots for the conference, it is our responsibility to take the most committed and skilled individuals from our delegation. For more information on the selection process, please send an email to mun@wwuiaa.com.