Opening Ceremony

The Opening Ceremony is the first official gathering of all delegates, faculty advisors, and staff at a Model UN conference. It marks the symbolic start of the simulation and usually takes place in the largest available venue — a plenary hall, auditorium, or hotel ballroom — before delegates disperse to their assigned committee rooms for the first session.

A standard opening ceremony program includes:

• Welcoming remarks from the Secretary-General and the host institution's leadership (university president, dean, or faculty advisor).
• Keynote address(es) from invited speakers, who are often diplomats, academics, UN officials, NGO representatives, or alumni. Major conferences such as Harvard WorldMUN, NMUN, and WIMUN have historically featured ambassadors and senior UN staff.
• Introduction of the Secretariat, including Under-Secretaries-General, Directors, and Chairs.
• Procedural announcements covering the code of conduct, awards policy, logistics, and any conference-wide rules updates.
• Occasionally, cultural performances or a moment of silence for current global crises.

The ceremony serves several functions beyond ceremony itself. It establishes the diplomatic tone delegates are expected to maintain, signals the academic seriousness of the event, and provides networking visibility for sponsors and partner organizations. For many first-time delegates, it is also the moment when the scale of the conference becomes tangible.

Attire is Western Business Attire (WBA) or, at some conferences, national dress. Delegates are typically expected to arrive early, as seating may be assigned by committee or country bloc. Attendance is generally mandatory, and some conferences track it.

The counterpart event at the end of the conference is the Closing Ceremony, where awards are announced and outgoing Secretariats are recognized. Together, the two ceremonies bookend the substantive committee work and reinforce the conference's identity as a structured diplomatic simulation rather than an informal debate.