Trying to find business and social networking opportunities can be a challenging task if you don't know where to look and where to start.
I'm going to look at both social and business networking opportunities.
You need to start by asking questions about your target market.

1. Where does your target market spend their working, family and recreational time?
2. What sort of groups, associations, clubs and activities do they participate in?
3. Who has the access to the target market you are looking for?

These could be social or business oriented networking opportunities.
For example: If your target market are business owners, and you discover a large number of them play bridge at a local country club on Saturdays, you could: join the bridge club, bring your family to the club on Saturdays, or even hold a workshop relevant to their needs at a time conveniently just before or after their Bridge game.
Social environments are however one of the most challenging scenarios, where you do not want to come across as just hunting for business.
Rather you need to come across as just enjoying the time spent, and slowly build the relationship, credibility, competency and trust factors.
Social networking opportunities can be found in clubs, societies, even a friend's lunch or dinner party.
You just need to understand your market, ask around and be creative.
You can even host your own event, and invite your contacts to bring the ideal prospects you'd like to see.
It gives you a chance to invite those prospects that you are keenly after and gives you a chance to spend a bit more time in exchanging ideas and talks on a more semi formal basis.
It shows a good vibe towards potential business prospects, especially if you carry off the event very well.
The difference between business networking and social networking is that people join business networking with the agenda of building business contacts.
They are there not just for a good time.
The basic questions again come into play.
Find out what type of seminars, conferences, associations, charities, tradeshows your potential business contacts participate in, you'll be able to identify where the business networking opportunities can be.
There are some business networking organisations like Business Networking International (BNI), that are specifically set up to help businesses get connected.
There are also networking or business-matching events that take place throughout the state all over the year.
  There is no real excuse for not being able to meet people or build your network.
A little bit of research, a bit of asking and just get down to it.