History of Electrex 1950-1993

Electrex developed from a small exhibition at the start of the 1950s into the top electrotechnical exhibition of products and related services in the UK by the 1990s. Its emergence reflected a complex relationship with the key trade association, BEAMA (the British Electrical and Allied Manufacturers' Association). This history places this development in a wider context marked by the disappearance of the British Industries Fair in the 1950s, the entry to Europe and the establishment of the National Exhibition Centre in Birmingham. In the process it is also a rare case study of the under-explored business histories of exhibitions, as well as casting light on the changing post-war fortunes of the British electrical industries.