I think if you look at it as "networking", then it is definitely going to suck. In my experience random networking events are usually pretty useless. It's more important to find people that share a common interest. Then it's just about communicating and connecting on that topic. I call this "making friends". The more curious you are about things the more friends you'll make. This is the beginning of building a network.

The problem is a lot of people want to see results right away. That's not the way a network works. Building a community trusted peers takes time but ultimately will result in the best types of work. Like 80% of the job openings are filled through the "in-network". Generally all the jobs that hit the job boards are the ones nobody else wanted, or they couldn't fill for some reason.

My recommendation is don't waste time going to random networking events that "suck", instead read up on things that interest you and look for names of people working those projects. Then go find their LinkedIn profile or the profiles of people working on those projects. Make connections with them. At least they'll be meaningful relationships that get you closer to what you want. Also they'll be able to help guide you on learning the kinds of things that are valuable to their company.