The organisation was established in 1902 as the National Electrical Manufacturers' Association before changing its name to the British Electrotechnical and Allied Manufacturers' Association in 1911. The first director was
Daniel Nicol Dunlop, also chairman of the first
World Power Conference (now the World Energy Council) in 1924. A collection of the organisation's records for the period 1905 to 1986 is held in the Modern Records Centre of the
University of Warwick covering the subjects of
trolley buses, electric welding, electric railroads, the electric industries, and the training of electrical engineers. ==Activities==