(Flip side is don't promise shit you know just isn't going to happen, and if you mis-calibrated make it known as early as possible you can't meet original expectations, people like that because they can plan instead of being blind sided)

I don’t go to conferences myself. But if I consider people in my network who I would vouch for it’s:

- Classmates from schools or various programs who I became friends with or joined the same clubs so I find them interesting

- Coworkers who got things done and seemed smart. They had my back and always made sure the right person got credit for things.

- Various meetups and events in my city. My particular interest is Biohacking and startups in general but I am sure there are crypto, healthcare, self driving, hacking, or meetups in whatever topic you might have interest.

- People I only met once or only through LinkedIn messages. They went out of there way to recommend for a job or help in some way when I asked.

I will say it’s far easier to network in person. People trust you more. And it’s far easier to network when you have done something cool to that other person. (self projects, sold a company, etc)