IRSAM Inc. - The International Relations Students' Association of McGill

What IRSAM Inc. - The International Relations Students' Association of McGill does

IRSAM Inc. (the International Relations Students' Association of McGill) is a federally incorporated Canadian nonprofit student organization founded circa 1999 and headquartered at 3480 Rue McTavish, Montréal. It operates as the largest student group at McGill University, with 300+ voting members, 500 associate staff, and an annual reach of 7,000+ people. The organization is structured as a portfolio of seven programs: two Model UN conferences (McMUN, the largest university-level MUN conference in Canada since 1989, drawing 1,600+ delegates; SSUNS, a secondary-school and CEGEP conference in its 30th edition drawing 1,300+ delegates), a competitive collegiate Delegation Team ranked #2 in Canada and #12 in North America by Best Delegate (2023-2024), two academic publications (Flux, a peer-reviewed undergraduate IR journal, and MIR, a bilingual online review with an associated podcast), MYAD, a youth advisory delegation holding special consultative status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) since 2006, and Junior Peacemakers, a K-12 outreach NGO.

IRSAM's revenue model is event- and membership-driven. The primary disclosed revenue stream is an annual $15 CAD membership fee granting voting rights and event access, supplemented by delegate fees from McMUN and SSUNS, with financial assistance available. Distribution is primarily through direct online registration via the IRSAM website and dedicated conference sites (mcmun.org, ssuns.org), with member recruitment concentrated at the start of fall and winter semesters. Marketing is conducted through organic channels — website, Mailchimp newsletter, and social media — with no paid acquisition disclosed. The organization holds multiple SSMU honors (Publication of the Year 2019, 2020, 2022; Club of the Year; President of the Year; Event of the Year) and maintains strategic partnerships with UN ECOSOC and ICAO.

The underlying technology stack is minimal: a Squarespace-hosted public website, standard email and social media channels, and no proprietary software, APIs, or data products. Governance is exercised through an elected Board of Directors drawn from the student membership, with bylaws adopted May 26, 1999 under Industry Canada's federal nonprofit regime. Day-to-day operations are volunteer-led and turnover annually as students graduate.

Name

IRSAM Inc. - The International Relations Students' Association of McGill

Legal name

IRSAM Inc.

Website

https://irsam.ca

Company type

Private

Founded year

1999

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

IRSAM Inc. is a federally incorporated Canadian nonprofit student organization at McGill University operating Model UN conferences (McMUN, SSUNS), academic publications (Flux, MIR), a competitive delegation team, UN ECOSOC-recognized youth advocacy (MYAD), and K-12 outreach (Junior Peacemakers), serving 7,000+ people annually.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Student Association and Educational Conference Services

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710), Educational Services (611)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

University-Led Summer/Winter Schools (Credit/Non-Credit) (EDAIAIAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Faculty-Led & Custom Group Study Abroad Programs (EDAIAAAA), Workshops, Webinars & Live Masterclasses (MPACALAD)

Keywords

• Model united nations
• Student association services
• International relations education
• Conference and publications
• Youth policy advocacy

Headquarters

HQ city

Montréal

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Fees: Annual membership fee of $15 CAD per academic year, granting voting rights, eligibility for leadership positions, and reduced-price event access.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

IRSAM is a federally incorporated Canadian nonprofit student organization at McGill University that delivers international-relations education through Model United Nations simulation conferences (McMUN and SSUNS), academic publications (Flux peer-reviewed journal and McGill International Review), a competitive Collegiate Delegation Team, youth policy advocacy at the UN via MYAD (ECOSOC consultative status), and the Junior Peacemakers outreach program in schools. Its core offerings are conference participation, academic publishing, and youth advocacy experiences available primarily to McGill students via a $15 CAD annual membership.

Product overview

IRSAM (International Relations Students' Association of McGill) is a student organization operating as a portfolio of programs rather than a unified software product. Its offerings include: McMUN (university-level UN simulation conference, the largest in Canada), SSUNS (high school/CÉGEP UN simulation conference), MYAD (youth advisory delegation with UN ECOSOC status), Flux (undergraduate peer-reviewed academic journal), MIR (bilingual online international affairs publication with podcast), Junior Peacemakers (youth activism workshops in schools), and the McGill Delegation Team (competitive collegiate MUN team). These programs focus on international relations education, diplomacy simulation, and youth advocacy.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• McMUN: McGill Model United Nations - University-level UN simulation conference held annually in Montreal since 1989, the largest in Canada and one of the largest in North America, attracting over 1600 delegates and 500 staff.
• SSUNS
• Delegation Team
• MYAD
• MIR
• Flux
• Junior Peacemakers

Products and services

• McMUN (McGill Model United Nations / Assemblée de Simulation de l'ONU de McGill)

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 7,000 people served annually across all programs
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2006IRSAM holds special consultative status with UN ECOSOC through its MYAD (McGill Youth Advisory Delegation) portfolio since 2006. This status allows IRSAM to participate in UN proceedings and advocate for youth perspectives in international policy discussions. MYAD crafts youth-centered policy briefs for UN Commissions including the Commission on the Status of Women and Commission on Social Development.
• International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIRSAM partnered with ICAO to provide a platform for collaboration with the United Nations through active participation between organizations. IRSAM continues to collaborate with and support ICAO in its promotion and outreach efforts to work towards an interconnected international community. IRSAM also hosts committees and events at ICAO headquarters in Montreal.
• Students' Society of McGill University (SSMU)coreOthersIRSAM is an Independent Student Group (ISG) affiliated with SSMU. With over 250 student members, IRSAM is one of the largest organizations within SSMU. IRSAM has received multiple honors from SSMU including 'Club of the Year', 'President of the Year', and 'Event of the Year'.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Yale Model United Nations (YMUN): Yale's Model UN conference is a top-tier university-level MUN event on the North American circuit, directly comparable to McMUN in delegate scale, brand prestige, and competitive-circuit positioning.
• UAlbany Model United Nations Conference (UAMUN): UAMUN is a long-running university-organized MUN conference hosted on a university campus—comparable to McMUN in size, structure, and student-run conference operations.
• Harvard Model United Nations (HMUN): HMUN is one of the oldest and largest university-level Model UN conferences globally, directly comparable to McMUN in scale, target audience (secondary school delegates), and conference-based educational model.
• National Model United Nations (NMUN): NMUN is a large-scale university Model UN conference held in New York with thousands of delegates annually; comparable to McMUN and SSUNS in operating conference-based educational simulations for students.
• Georgetown Model United Nations: Georgetown MUN is a major university-run conference on the collegiate circuit; comparable to McMUN in format, delegate base, and role in the North American MUN rankings.

Emerging players

• International Model UN Association (IMUNA): IMUNA runs smaller-scale Model UN conferences and educational programs; comparable in offering short-term academic-model simulations for high school and university students.

Regional players

• United Nations Youth of Canada (UNYC): UNYC runs regional Model UN conferences and youth programs across Canada, overlapping with IRSAM's SSUNS and Junior Peacemakers on regional youth IR engagement.

Broad incumbents

• United Nations Association of Canada (UNA-Canada): UNA-Canada is a national civil-society organization that supports UN engagement and youth programming across Canada—a broader incumbent that overlaps with MYAD's ECOSOC-style youth advocacy mandate.
• UNICEF Campus Initiative: UNICEF Campus clubs at universities run youth advocacy programming similar to MYAD and Junior Peacemakers; comparable in mission and student-led advocacy model, though with much larger institutional backing.

Others

• Best Delegate: Best Delegate is the primary ranking and analytics platform for the collegiate MUN circuit and is the source of IRSAM's #2 Canada / #12 North America ranking; comparable as an ecosystem participant that shapes delegate and competitor behavior.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/IRSAMMcGill
• Instagraminstagram.com/mcgillyad
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/international-relations-students'-association-of-mcgill-inc-

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Subsidiaries7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about IRSAM Inc. - The International Relations Students' Association of McGill