This is a guest post from Ellisse Johnston, the Secretary-General of the 2012 Pennsylvania United Nations Conference.
Secretaries-General smile when the delegations help make their job easier
Attending Model UN conferences is one of the most exciting parts of being in a Model United Nations club, second only to running them. As a former Secretary-General, I’m here to share a few tips that will help your delegation prepare for an upcoming model un conference.
Whether this is your delegation’s first conference, or you are transitioning a new club leader in, here are five tips to help you make the most out of your communications with the Secretary-General or conference director.
1. If you get an email asking for information- provide it.— I know, you probably are getting a lot of email each day, and are probably quite busy, but responding promptly helps us to help you, when we know your needs we can more effectively meet them!
2. Check the website first— Great conferences, in general, have really helpful websites, filled with information about the types of lodging & any special rates being offered, committee information, and information about social events. Try searching on the website, and then contacting the conference organizers with specific questions. Also, if you notice any broken links, please do mention them- if we don’t know there’s a problem we can’t get it fixed!
3. Follow-up on your payment— If you haven’t heard back in a reasonable amount of time from the conference organizers stating that they have received your payment, there is no harm in giving them a call or email. Another great thing to do is to find out whether your school’s billing department requires a W9 or other paperwork to process the transaction, if you can request this when you register you’ll likely see a faster turnaround time!
4. If your delegation size changes, alert the conference immediately!— Even if it is twenty-four hours before the conference starts, alerting the conference staff will help them plan for, and more effectively prepare for your arrival.
5. Enjoy yourself!— Prepping to attend a MUN conference is a lot of fun, and you are a rockstar for taking on the role of organizing your travel team! All conference directors want you to have the very best time, and get the most out of your experience. So- do what you have to do to make sure that happens.
Hopefully, these quick tips will help your delegation feel more confident with the pre-conference preparation. If there are any tips that you think are missing, feel free to share them in the comments!
Best of luck on the circuit!
