This article will offer some feedback and subsequent reflection on the week long Association Internationale de Linguistique Appliquee (AILA) Congress 2017 held in Rio during July, and in particular, on the full day international symposium curated by the authors. As the co-convenors of the Research Network on Learner Autonomy we had to organise this event for approximately 500 members from all around the world, along with the triennial AGM. This was set within the academic and social context of at least 1500 other linguists from about 60 different countries (from several Scandinavian countries, a range of countries in South and North America, Asia, and the Pacific) with many opportunities for invaluable networking over great local coffee or cocktails (caipirinha), either within the conference venue overlooking the beautiful beaches or at other formal and informal social occasions.