Attending events is one of the best ways to meet new people. The most important criteria of the events you attend is access to quality targets. If the targets are not good, the event is a waste of your precious time and money. And,when you meet those new contacts, be sure to negotiate the follow-up by making a first follow-up offer. Without following up, there is very little benefit in attending.
You might also consider becoming a speaker or sponsor so you enjoy the added credibility and access to more contacts.
You could also use the event as a reason to contact your targets to see if they plan on attending.
If the event is in another city, you could use the opportunity to visit them as long as you are already going to be near them.
You should list the dates of the events you want to attend in your To-do's and schedule a reminder well in advance so that you can register and plan any associated biz dev activities.