that you can. figure out where the events are, who is putting them on, and connect with these people. make sure and get to know the people running the show, and thank or acknowledge the effort they put forth to do it, because it takes a lot of work and confidence even to set up a small gathering.
besides, these are the ones you want to talk to the most, because they know most of the people there, they took the initiative to set things up, and they are likely ambitious as well.
if you don’t know where to start, don’t use that as an excuse; just do something! sign up for 