Secondary Schools' United Nations Symposium

What Secondary Schools' United Nations Symposium does

Secondary Schools' United Nations Symposium (SSUNS) is an annual Model United Nations conference for high school and Cégep students, founded in 1992 by McGill University students and now operated as a flagship program of the federally incorporated non-profit International Relations Students' Association of McGill (IRSAM). The 34th iteration takes place November 12–15, 2026 at Le Centre Sheraton Montréal Hotel in Montréal, Québec, hosting approximately 1,300 delegates representing 60+ school delegations drawn from Canada and international markets across North America, Africa, the Caribbean, Europe, South Asia, and Central America. The conference is organized by a 15-person Secretariat of McGill students and staffed by 250+ McGill University student volunteers.

The product portfolio is structured around four committee tracks — General Assemblies, Economic and Social Councils, Specialized Agencies, and Crisis Committees (including Joint Crisis format) — totaling 26 committees, supported by a Delegate Resource Center, Delegate Handbook, committee background guides, a Delegate Gala, and an Awards Program. Registration runs through the MUNager platform in four pricing phases. IRSAM, the parent organization, holds special consultative status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), providing unique institutional credibility, and SSUNS leverages proximity to ICAO headquarters in Montréal for aviation diplomacy programming.

Revenue is generated from two streams: tiered per-delegate and per-delegation registration fees in CAD (Early Bird $110 delegation + $120 per delegate through Final $130 delegation + $145 per delegate) and a four-tier corporate sponsorship program (Bronze $500 to Headline $2,500 CAD) plus joint sponsorship bundles with sister conference McMUN. Preferential hotel rates at the Sheraton ($332-$356 CAD per room) provide ancillary delegate accommodation revenue. As a non-profit student organization, SSUNS does not publish revenue figures, and proceeds are reinvested into conference operations.

Name

Secondary Schools' United Nations Symposium

Legal name

Secondary Schools' United Nations Symposium

Website

https://ssuns.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1992

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

SSUNS is an annual Model United Nations conference for high school and Cégep students, organized by McGill University students under parent non-profit IRSAM, hosting 1,300+ delegates from 60+ schools worldwide at the Sheraton Montréal each November.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Educational Conference Services

NAICS

Convention and Trade Show Organizers (561920), Convention and Trade Show Organizers (56192), Business Associations (813910)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Academic & Education Conference Organizers (THAHACAE)

Keywords

• Model United Nations conference
• High school debate simulation
• Youth leadership development
• Educational conference services
• Student diplomacy programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Montréal

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Delegate Registration Fees: Schools pay per-delegate fees for students attending the conference, with tiered pricing based on registration phase (Early, Regular, Final). Additionally, a one-time delegation fee applies per school.
2. Sponsorship Revenue: Organizations sponsor the conference at various tiers (Bronze $500, Platinum $1000, Sapphire $1800, Headline $2500) in exchange for visibility including website listings, delegate handbook features, social media, opening ceremony recognition, and conference materials branding.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

SSUNS operates an annual four-day Model United Nations conference for high school and Cégep students in Montréal, featuring 26 committee simulations across General Assemblies, ECOSOCs, Specialized Agencies, and Crisis formats. The conference is staffed by 250+ McGill University student volunteers and supported by a Delegate Resource Center, Delegate Handbook, background guides, and an Awards Program. Registration is processed through the MUNager platform on a per-delegate basis with tiered pricing by registration phase and optional preferential hotel accommodations at Le Centre Sheraton.

Product overview

SSUNS operates as a single annual conference product—the Secondary Schools' United Nations Symposium—delivered as a comprehensive Model United Nations experience. The conference is organized into four committee tracks: General Assemblies (GAs) for large-format international policy debate, Economic and Social Councils (ECOSOCs) for medium-sized specialized body simulations, Specialized Agencies (SPECs) for focused technical policy discussions, and Crisis Committees (including Joint Crisis format) for fast-paced scenario-based simulations. The 2026 conference features 26 committees total. Beyond committee sessions, the product suite includes the Delegate Gala social event, Delegate Resource Center (DRC) for on-site support, the Delegate Handbook for pre-conference preparation, committee background guides for topic research, and an Awards Program recognizing individual and delegation excellence. Registration is handled through the MUNager platform via a four-phase process, and venue accommodations are facilitated through partnership with Le Centre Sheraton Montréal Hotel.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• SSUNS Annual Conference Canada's premier high school Model United Nations conference, bringing together 1,300+ delegates from 60+ school delegations worldwide for four days of committee debate, diplomacy simulations, and leadership development, held annually in Montréal.
• General Assemblies (GAs) Large-format committee rooms focused on major international policy issues, featuring robust caucusing, amendment workflow, and bloc discipline, with double-delegation options for certain committees.
• Specialized Agencies (SPECs) Focused committees with technical mandates, deeper policy tradeoff analysis, and varied historical or thematic contexts, including French bilingual options.
• Crisis Committees Fast-paced simulations where events evolve throughout the committee session, emphasizing rapid strategy, high-information updates, and directive writing.
• Delegate Gala Evening social event providing delegates with networking opportunities and entertainment during the conference weekend.
• Delegate Registration (via MUNager)
• Hotel Accommodations (Sheraton)
• Awards Program

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• IRSAM (International Relations Students' Association of McGill)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIRSAM is the parent organization behind SSUNS and its wider student programming. It is a federally incorporated, not-for-profit corporation composed of over 300 student members at McGill University. IRSAM has special consultative status with ECOSOC at the United Nations.
• McGill UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSSUNS is organized entirely by McGill University students. The conference is staffed by 250+ McGill volunteers who plan and execute the conference over months of preparation.
• MUNagercoreTechnology or IntegrationOfficial registration platform for SSUNS. Delegations register through MUNager to complete their conference registration, manage delegate information, submit committee preferences, and track assignments.
• ICAO (International Civil Aviation Organization)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerICAO headquarters is located in Montréal. SSUNS leverages this proximity for unique educational programming, with delegates able to visit ICAO and learn about international aviation diplomacy.
• McMUN (McGill Model United Nations)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMcMUN is SSUNS's sister conference for university students. Joint sponsorship opportunities are available for organizations seeking visibility across both high school and collegiate MUN audiences.
• Le Centre Sheraton Montréal HotelcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe primary venue for SSUNS conferences. Committee sessions, workshops, and socials are held on-site. SSUNS negotiates preferential hotel rates for delegates.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• NHSMUN (National High School Model United Nations): One of the largest high school-only MUN conferences in the United States, drawing thousands of delegates from across North America and internationally. Closely comparable in target audience (secondary school students) and committee portfolio.
• ChoMUN (University of Chicago Model United Nations): University of Chicago's collegiate MUN conference, operating in the same elite tier as HMUN/GUMUN. Comparable in scale, target audience, and committee structure, with overlap in the broader North American collegiate MUN circuit.
• NAIMUN (North American Invitational Model United Nations): Hosted by Georgetown University students, NAIMUN is one of the largest high school MUN conferences in North America. Direct competitor for the same high school delegation market and is a relevant benchmark for SSUNS's scale and committee offering.
• Yale Model United Nations (YMUN): Yale's collegiate MUN conference, another Ivy-league caliber event targeting the same elite delegate pipeline as HMUN and GUMUN. Directly comparable product offering and recruit pool for student organizers.
• Harvard Model United Nations (HMUN): One of the largest and most prestigious high school and collegiate MUN conferences globally, hosted by Harvard students. Competes for the same top-tier delegate pool and is explicitly referenced by SSUNS senior staff as a comparator they compete at and recruit from.
• McMUN (McGill Model United Nations): McGill's collegiate MUN conference, operating as the sister conference to SSUNS under the same IRSAM umbrella. Directly comparable in product (annual MUN conference), target market (student delegates), and operational model (student-run from McGill).
• Berkeley Model United Nations (BMUN): UC Berkeley's MUN conference, a top-tier collegiate/high-school hybrid conference. Directly comparable in committee structure and target audience, and referenced in SSUNS team bios as a peer circuit conference.
• ILMUNC (International Leadership Model UN Conference): The University of Pennsylvania's flagship high school MUN conference. Comparable in scale, audience (secondary school delegations), and committee diversity, competing for the same pool of returning school teams.
• NYUMUN (NYU Model United Nations): NYU's flagship MUN conference, operating at a similar scale and tier as other elite collegiate MUNs. SSUNS leadership explicitly identifies NYUMUN as an award destination, signaling overlap in delegate and organizer recruitment markets.
• Georgetown Model United Nations (GUMUN): Georgetown University's flagship MUN conference, another elite US-based conference in the same tier as HMUN. Targets comparable high school and collegiate delegations and is cited by SSUNS leadership as a competitor circuit destination.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ssuns
• Instagraminstagram.com/ssuns_official
• TikToktiktok.com/@ssuns2025

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles15 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Secondary Schools' United Nations Symposium