Affiliated membership of the AIA is available to societies, clubs and groups, whether of local interest or of national specialist interest, so that they can have a voice in national matters and their members can be aware of what is happening in the wider field. By adding their strength to the AIA, it increases our voice and position when representing industrial archaeology at a national or international level.

The nominated representatives of Affiliated Societies are in regular contact with the AIA’s Affiliated Societies Officer, who distributes copies of the e-News bulletin to them for onward distribution to their society membership. They also receive a copy of Industrial Archaeology Review and five copies of the quarterly IA News. Attendance of events at AIA membership rates is available to the affiliated organisation’s members and individual savings from this often exceed the annual Affiliated Society fee. Subscription details are given on our Membership page. For questions about affiliation please contact the Affiliated Societies Officer on Council. Email: affiliated@industrial-archaeology.org 

Early in 2026, the AIA undertook a survey of its Affiliated Societies and very useful insights into the state of them were obtained. A number of Council Members and a group of Affiliated Society representatives have formed a working group which is considering how the AIA and the Affiliated Societies can work together for their mutual benefit. Although there is an existing channel for the AIA to communicate with its Affiliated Societies, one of the high priority needs identified was a mechanism for the Affiliated Societies to communicate amongst themselves under the AIA banner. This is one of the first issues that is being addressed. A byproduct of this is the growth of hybrid meetings, supplementing in-person meetings organised by individual societies. A mechanism will be developed to enable individual societies to advertise their hybrid meetings across the network, thus hopefully increasing significantly the number of attendees at individual meetings.

Other initiatives to integrate and widen the Affiliated Society network are being developed, but ideas to the Affiliated Society Officer (affiliated@industrial-archaeology.org) are very welcome.