Ask HN: Avoiding entrepreneurial development events ok?

I have a few friends that go to all of the meetups and seminars with entrepreneurial development organizations and related groups and try to get me to go, but I'm just not interested. I've been to enough to know that I'm not into networking in-person just for the purpose of networking. I can be outgoing, but I just don't tend to be. Why go waste your time meeting with people before you even have a viable product or service to be trying to drum up interest about, or if you just aren't "ready"? I understand that there is a lot to be gained from having relationships with various important people in the industry, but isn't there a lot to be lost also if you get the reputation for going to these things and having nothing to say to anyone? Isn't it ok to not waste your time with people and events that you just aren't interested in?