Marketing and the Chamber of Commerce
While the marketing folks will tell you all different kinds of stories about where the most important venues are for pitching your product and networking, there is one place where they might not think to look. That place is your local Chamber of Commerce. Now, this assumes that you are a local business, as the following mostly applies only to those who are looking to join up with other local businesses, do their networking on a more intimate (yet still highly valuable) scale, and gain opportunities for exposure in the local community. There are many opportunities available, and those who take advantage of them build familiarity with each other which can lead to partnering together on future projects, business referrals, etc.
The Chamber of Commerce is often the entryway for many people who are seeking information about a place, and so being affiliated may mean having greater visibility in that way. It is also a place that collects exactly the kind of information that you yourself might be looking for one day. One can only hope that others will come looking for what you have to offer there.