Gibson shared with other delegates knowledge he had about correspondence education in several countries and then suggested that an international conference be held.

The third conference took place in 1953 in Christchurch, New Zealand, where a committee presented a proposed "Constitution and Rules" for the council that was adopted by the delegates.

These rules helped the council became more established and conferences began to follow a more regular schedule.

In 1982, during the 12th World Conference held in Vancouver, the organization changed its name to "the International Council for Open and Distance Education" (ICDE).

The first 10 years of the council the presidence was led by Rex Haight in Canada who was also the chair of the first ICCE World Conference held in Victoria in 1938.