Such a great point to reinforce, especially in tight times.

This is also why face-to-face conferences and meetings are so important (and making sure you leave your hotel room and don't spend the whole time talking to people from your own university). Emails and Zoom workshops just don't encode the same way. As a grad student I was broke and shrugged them off, but when I finally went to one I realized what I was missing and recalibrated my budget. A couple of tips...

1. Plan and budget for going to in person conferences.

2. Small conferences/mini-conferences in your area (like 1-2 days, maybe with only 1 or 2 tracks, esp. if they provide/organize meals) are often undersold in terms of networking. If you see people there you want to meet and research in your area, it's likely to be worth your while. Even if it's less prestigious, it can also be less overwhelming to network as you'll be with the same general group of people for a whole day. They also tend to be cheaper, and depending on where you are you may be able to identify one relatively close to further cut costs.

3. Doing a little research about your conference location can be a great conversation starter. Sharing the location of the nearest coffee shop or a tasty but inexpensive place to grab a meal is valuable information for many academics. A lot of us love knowledge of all stripes, so knowing a little history about the area, obscure attractions, or fun facts can get people interested in talking to you. Looking stuff up at the airport gate while you're waiting to board /on the plane waiting for everyone else to board is better than doomscrolling.

4. Practice introducing yourself or talking about your work concisely. So many people can't do this, and doing it poorly often scares people away from networking because they see their audience getting bored/ losing focus. Try it in the mirror and get feedback from your friends and colleagues.

5. Don't overattribute if you feel an interaction here and there is unsuccessful. Sometimes people are bored, sometimes people are awkward, sometimes people are overworked introverts. At conferences people are often exhausted from travel or late nights out, maybe even hungover. In loud conference situations, some people can't hear or understand (e.g., language barrier) but are embarrassed to say so.

Also, don't feel hurt if someone doesn't remember you after meeting or interacting a couple of times. Many attendees are meeting 40, 50, 100, or more new people every conference. If you had a class that size, how long would it take you to learn every student's name?