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Currently, finding qualified conferences is an issue and this problem is making a lot of people -like myself- to not want to join any conference. When there are three people in the committee or the study guide has been released 1 day before the committee starts that is usually not a good sign, but many signs are there? How can we avoid this? How can we solve this or at least get close to solving it?
Finding a Conference
Lately, we encounter a lot of conferences that are looking for delegates. How can you know that it is worth it to join it?
Check out Conference’s Social Media Accounts
When you find a new conference and find their Instagram account, the first thing you should be doing is to check the page if it overall looks nice and well-designed. Besides, you should also check the agenda items if they’re well-chosen and do not look like they’re just copied from somewhere else or just taken without any further consideration about the debate about that topic.
Editor’s Note: MUNTurkey.com suggests conferences choose agenda items according to the Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations.
When you’re on it, you should also check the conference’s partnerships to check if it is partnering with respected organizations.
The Organization
PR Team is one of the most crucial parts of the conference. Usually, PR Team members are responsible for finding new delegates for the conferences or answering questions of the delegates that already have registered. Ask them how many delegates are they expecting for each committee, the procedure, the certificates -because joining to non-verified conferences may not be very useful- ask them the size of the organization team and how they’re working. Because they actually want you to ask questions and be interested.
The things I mentioned above which are the basics of the organization is important and one other thing is the application deadlines. Basically, if a conference is looking for gaining new delegates until the last minute and has not released the study guides until the last day, it is better for you to stay away.
Listen to Other People, Learn their Experiences
Listening to everyone may not end up with positive consequences. But when you listen to the right people, you can actually learn life-saving advice. The thing that helped me the most would be listening to my advisor when they gave advice about MUN to me. They may not always be right, but it is very useful for forming my own opinion. For example, if a conference is advised by a person you respect, you should join that conference. Usually, there are groups of people that talks about conferences, listen to their opinions about academic members because usually, experience numbers in itself may not mean a lot. Ask your friends’ that are in the academic team of the conference, because a chair that is only there for academic reasons can be more honest than a PR team member about the quality of the conference.
Editon, Location and Venue, Accommodation, Logistics
Other important things are edition, location, accommodation and other logistics. For example, try to find out how many times has the conference been organized before. MUNTurkey.com calendar has a part showing the edition of the conference.
Secondly, try to learn the location of the conference. Sometimes the venue is too far away from the city centre. In such a case, you have to find a way to reach the venue. It is usually too expensive or sometimes it is even not safe.
If you change your city or your country, make sure that the accommodation is provided by the conference. Schools or delegations are much safer when you change your city or country. But if you are attending MUNs in another location rather than your city, make sure you think of every detail regarding hotel, security, prices, food and etc.
Conference material such as folder, pen, pencil, badge and lunch, coffee breaks are so important for experiencing a high-quality conference. Before registering for a MUN, try to learn such important details. Another important issue is that some conferences may not be organized with the purpose of academic benefits, instead, they organize MUN for just having fun. Please keep in mind that, MUN is an academic activity, and party or fun shouldn’t be the only aim of the conferences.
Make Sure They Are In The MUNTurkey.com Calendar
They have certain quality standards which can really help you choose a conference. You can contact MUNTurkey.com via info@munturkey, and get more information about the conferences that you want to go. Secondly, we suggest MUNPoint.com for international MUN conferences.
Finally, this article is written by one person who has been doing conferences for a year now. And I actually want to learn if the old conferences were better than the new ones or how it actually improved or have gotten worse. If we actually listen to each other and instead of complaining, we can make a difference. If this is your goal, try to achieve it in a way that people would appreciate what you’re doing. Don’t make them regret that they have waste their hours or money. Trying to cooperate with your school or people that have experience can be a good option.
And for delegates like me, if attending low-quality MUN conferences is not enjoyable for you anymore, you can step aside for a while. Wait until you find a high-quality conference and feel really excited.
Finally, I want to remind you that you can always make suggestions if you do not like how things are going. You can tell the conference your feedback in a friendly way. We should also contribute to the conferences that we attend.
Have a great day!
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