Afternoon Tea [ICLR] - Encord, Prolific & Modal
- Date
- 2026-04-23
- Location
- Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
- Host
- Artificially Intelligent
About this event
Good conference conversations rarely happen on stage — they happen when people finally have time to slow down, compare notes, and talk honestly about what they’re building. This afternoon tea in Rio is a chance to step out of the rush of ICLR, meet thoughtful people from across the ML community, and spend time with others who care about the same technical questions, product challenges, and research directions. Whether you’re deep in model development, thinking about data quality, working on infrastructure, or simply hoping to meet sharp people in a more relaxed setting, this gathering is designed to make those conversations easy to start. Expect a social, in-person meetup atmosphere with room for real connection rather than rushed networking. About the Event Afternoon Tea [ICLR] - Encord, Prolific & Modal is an in-person social meetup taking place in Rio de Janeiro during ICLR week. It brings together people across the broader machine learning ecosystem for a casual afternoon gathering centered on conversation, community, and meeting peers face to face. This is not framed as a formal conference session or a highly programmed workshop. The point is to create a comfortable setting where attendees can drop in, talk with others in the community, and make the kind of introductions that often lead to future collaboration, useful insight, or simply a better conference experience. Because the event sits at the intersection of community, networking, and social meetup, it’s well suited to people who want more than surface-level badge swapping. If you’ve been moving between talks, meetings, and side events all week, this is a chance to reset and spend time in a format that feels more natural and conversational. What to Expect You should expect a relaxed afternoon gathering with a strong professional crowd and an easy social rhythm. Rather than a tightly packed agenda, the value here comes from being in the room with people across research, applied ML, data work, tooling, and infrastructure — and having enough time to actually talk. Typical flow for an event like this includes: Arrivals and informal mingling as people come in from the day’s conference schedule Open conversation in small groups, with room to move between topics and meet new people Organic networking with researchers, builders, operators, and community members A more relaxed pace than the usual conference rush, making it easier to have thoughtful exchanges The “afternoon tea” format signals something intentional: this is meant to be welcoming, unhurried, and easy to join whether you arrive knowing many people or none at all. You do not need a perfect reason to attend. Curiosity is enough. You can also expect a mix of conversation types. Some people will want to talk shop about model development, evaluation, infrastructure, and workflows. Others will be more interested in the state of the field, what’s standing out at ICLR, where the ecosystem is heading, or who’s working on adjacent problems worth paying attention to. Why Attend If you’re already in Rio for ICLR, one of the best uses of your time is finding the smaller gatherings where meaningful connections actually happen. This event gives you a chance to meet people outside the formal structures of talks and panels, which often leads to better conversations and stronger follow-up after the conference. A good meetup can help you do several things at once: Expand your network beyond your immediate team, lab, or company circle Pressure-test ideas through casual but informed conversation Discover what others are working on across adjacent parts of the ML stack Meet potential collaborators in a lower-pressure environment Add context to the conference by hearing what other attendees are noticing, questioning, or excited about There’s also real value in choosing an event that doesn’t demand performance. You don’t need to present, pitch, or arrive with a packed schedule. You just need to show up ready to talk, listen, and be open to meeting people you might not cross paths with inside the main conference flow. For people who care about the machine learning ecosystem as a living community — not just a sequence of papers, demos, and meetings — this kind of gathering matters. It creates space for the informal exchanges where partnerships begin, opinions sharpen, and ideas become more useful. Practical Details This event is in person in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and is scheduled for Thursday, April 23 at 4:15 PM GMT-3. It’s positioned well for attendees who want to continue their ICLR day with something social and professionally relevant without committing to a heavily structured evening program. Because this is a meetup-style event, it makes sense to come prepared for conversation rather than passive attendance. A few practical suggestions: Arrive ready to introduce yourself clearly — what you work on, what brought you to ICLR, and what kinds of people or topics you’re hoping to connect with Leave space in your schedule so you’re not rushing out the moment a useful conversation starts Bring your conference mindset, but not conference urgency — this event will likely be most valuable when approached with openness and time If you’ve been looking for a smart, relaxed way to meet other people in the community during ICLR, this is exactly the kind of gathering worth making time for. Come for the tea, stay for the conversations that make the rest of the week more interesting.
Who should attend
If you want a more relaxed, more useful way to meet people during ICLR, this event is likely a strong fit. - You’re attending **ICLR** and want to connect with people outside the formal talk schedule, poster sessions, and back-to-back meetings. - You work in or around **machine learning, AI, data, research, tooling, or infrastructure** and enjoy conversations that move easily between technical topics and the bigger picture. - You’re a **researcher, engineer, founder, operator, product leader, or community builder** who values meeting thoughtful peers in person. - You prefer **genuine networking over transactional networking** and want time for conversations that are actually useful, memorable, and easy to continue after the event. - You’re new to this conference community, new to the city, or simply want a setting where it’s easy to join without already knowing the room. - You’re looking for a **low-pressure social meetup** where you can exchange ideas, compare notes on the week, and potentially uncover future collaborators, customers, teammates, or friends. If that sounds like the kind of conference hour you wish happened more often, you’ll probably feel at home here.