During its first convention, the NELA set up a formal structure that included a constitution and a governing body made up of elected officers using committees to carry out the interests of its members.
 By 1904, the NELA had 588 members that were broken down into major classes.
 The membership included all of the major electric suppliers, like Edison Electric Company that later became General Electric as well as most of the larger electric generating companies from the east to west coast.
The list of honorary members included Baron Alphonse James de Rothschild, Charles A. Coffin (the head of General Electric), George Westinghouse, Lord Kelvin, Charles F. Brush, Thomas A. Edison,  Prof. Elihu Thomson, and Nikola Tesla.
 Tesla read his technical paper on "Light and Other High Frequency Phenomena" at the 1893 convention in St. Louis.
By 1921, the NELA had eight different classes of membership with over 11,000 members including companies, associations and individuals from other countries.

The NELA had nearly 30 different committees in place that came together during its conventions.
 These committees that included geographical representatives from the industry broken down by region and state affiliated associations and industry representatives coordinated the distribution of reports on best practices and standards of the industry from the ratings of light bulbs, safety, accounting practices, engineering designs of equipment to advertizing, public relations and legislative campaigns.

Each year, the NELA selected a new president to lead the Association from an executive of a major electric power company.
For example, in 1898 Sam Insull from the Commonwealth Edison Company was selected the same year that his hometown of Chicago hosted the June 7-9th event.
The president would preside over the convention that included an introductory speech that summarized the major events of the year.
 Part of Insull's speech stunned attendees as he promoted the idea that electric companies were natural monopolies that should be regulated at the state rather than local level.
Within fifteen years, his idea would sweep the nation.

The Association maintained a modest year-round staff in New York City.
 They managed the group's budget, produced and distributed its reports and coordinated the conventions along with the host electric company.
 Prior to 1905, events were three days long but jumped to five-days by 1910.
In 1907, the association introduced a monthly Bulletin that was distributed to all members.
 By 1910, the NELA was approaching 7,000 members, with its main office maintaining an exchange network of 114 trade and company journals being produced by its members in 1922.

Each convention was organized to draw prominent media coverage.
 Exhibitions that included dazzling displays of lighting and the latest electric appliances were modeled after the wildly popular 1893 Chicago World's Fair.
 It was always held at a high-profile luxury hotel.
The convention's publicity included local and national celebrities.
 Opening ceremonies for the convention and exhibition included a welcome speech by the host city's mayor.
Each day would have a morning and evening session that started with a live presentation of a major paper followed by a discussion on the topic by those in attendance.
This was followed by entertainment, trips to the exhibition hall or local company's central electric power station.
During its first convention, the NELA set up a formal structure that included a constitution and a governing body made up of elected officers using committees to carry out the interests of its members.  By 1904, the NELA had 588 members that were broken down into major classes.  The membership included all of the major electric suppliers, like Edison Electric Company that later became General Electric as well as most of the larger electric generating companies from the east to west coast. The list of honorary members included Baron Alphonse James de Rothschild, Charles A. Coffin (the head of General Electric), George Westinghouse, Lord Kelvin, Charles F. Brush, Thomas A. Edison,  Prof. Elihu Thomson, and Nikola Tesla.  Tesla read his technical paper on "Light and Other High Frequency Phenomena" at the 1893 convention in St. Louis. By 1921, the NELA had eight different classes of membership with over 11,000 members including companies, associations and individuals from other countries.
The NELA had nearly 30 different committees in place that came together during its conventions.  These committees that included geographical representatives from the industry broken down by region and state affiliated associations and industry representatives coordinated the distribution of reports on best practices and standards of the industry from the ratings of light bulbs, safety, accounting practices, engineering designs of equipment to advertizing, public relations and legislative campaigns.
Each year, the NELA selected a new president to lead the Association from an executive of a major electric power company. For example, in 1898 Sam Insull from the Commonwealth Edison Company was selected the same year that his hometown of Chicago hosted the June 7-9th event. The president would preside over the convention that included an introductory speech that summarized the major events of the year.  Part of Insull's speech stunned attendees as he promoted the idea that electric companies were natural monopolies that should be regulated at the state rather than local level. Within fifteen years, his idea would sweep the nation.
The Association maintained a modest year-round staff in New York City.  They managed the group's budget, produced and distributed its reports and coordinated the conventions along with the host electric company.  Prior to 1905, events were three days long but jumped to five-days by 1910. In 1907, the association introduced a monthly Bulletin that was distributed to all members.  By 1910, the NELA was approaching 7,000 members, with its main office maintaining an exchange network of 114 trade and company journals being produced by its members in 1922.
Each convention was organized to draw prominent media coverage.  Exhibitions that included dazzling displays of lighting and the latest electric appliances were modeled after the wildly popular 1893 Chicago World's Fair.  It was always held at a high-profile luxury hotel. The convention's publicity included local and national celebrities.  Opening ceremonies for the convention and exhibition included a welcome speech by the host city's mayor. Each day would have a morning and evening session that started with a live presentation of a major paper followed by a discussion on the topic by those in attendance. This was followed by entertainment, trips to the exhibition hall or local company's central electric power station.
National Electric Light Association