My advice: Get the value before the event. Reach out to everyone that you want to meet with before the event and schedule in-person meetings at the event, that will give you license to schedule remote meetings before the event for introductions.

Only go to the event if you have enough meetings with a clear line to enough value for it to make sense. Folks that do events for sales/customers, are working those events well before the actual event and have clear lines to value. If you just 'show up', odds are that you will waste your time and not get value.