SELECT is preparing to mark its 125th anniversary this year as it celebrates its founding as the world’s oldest electrical trade association.
The organisation revealed it is planning a packed calendar of events to mark the landmark year, reflecting the way it has represented the profession since 1900 when contractors got together in Glasgow to serve the ‘modern trades’.
Supported by sponsorship from associate members and wholesalers, SELECT has put together a programme of events ranging from technical talks to a grand ball.
MD Alan Wilson said, “The vision of the original founders of the association – that contractors should draw together and unite – is as relevant and as powerful a message today as it was 125 years ago. Our forefathers understood that rivalry between firms, although keen, ‘did not obscure mutual respect’, and the way that member firms have pulled together in recent years – especially during the Covid-19 pandemic – has been nothing short of remarkable.
“The events of this anniversary year will serve to highlight the comprehensive way that SELECT carries out its responsibility to further the aims and ambitions of a profession which is so vital to the future as we transition to a net zero society.”
Highlights will include the association’s Toolbox Talks, sponsored for the first time by Aico, which will visit 12 venues across Scotland in May and June, delivering technical updates.
Also on the calendar will be the President’s Cup golf contest in July, sponsored by Luceco Group, branch updates in March and October sponsored by Aico and Hispec and the Past Presidents’ Christmas Lunch in December, sponsored by Electrium.
SELECT will also play host to a delegation from EuropeOn, the voice of the continent’s electrical contracting industry, in Edinburgh in May, and host its fourth Professionals’ Day at the V&A Dundee in September.
The celebrations will culminate with a 125th Anniversary Grand Ball, sponsored by Scolmore Group, at the Marriott Hotel in Glasgow on 14 November.
Mr Wilson, added, “Our teams have been putting in the hours to make sure that the 125th anniversary year will be one to remember, and many more events are in the planning. In everything we do, we want to show how SELECT has been serving the electrical sector in Scotland through unprecedented changes in society, through times of need and times of prosperity, and will continue to represent the interests of everyone in our profession.”
