The first International Conference on the History of Freemasony (ICHF) was held in Edinburgh, Scotland, in 2007. It was without doubt something of an experiment designed to bring academics and Freemasons (and surprisingly enough quite a few members of the public) together.

The conference proved to be a great success and it has been decided that it will become a bi-ennial event and the premier conference on all aspects of Freemasonry. The reason for holding the conference for a second successive year in Edinburgh was simply because 2009 marks the 250th anniversary of the birth of Brother Robert Burns and it is to be hoped that some papers presented at the conference will focus on Scotland's National Bard and particularly the impact that Freemasonry had on his life and work.

Due to the success of the first conference the organisers had expressed concern that if too many applications to submit papers or simply attend as a delegate numbers will have to be restricted. 'Book early to avoid disappointment' is clearly the message.

However, ICHF 2009 will be the last time the conference convenes in Edinburgh for some years. As an International Conference it is thought only fair and reasonable that it 'moves' every two years. At this time it is thought that moving between different Masonic venues in north America and Europe might be the way to proceed but it is emphaised that no decision on this question has yet been reached.

In any event, moving ICHF to different places around the world will allow delegates to experience different places and different cultures.