Being active in both the professional and amateur/Maker community also helps to stay abreast of areas I might not otherwise cross paths with, and meet people from many walks of life - serendipity basically, and getting fresh perspectives.

This is me at a Sydney OzBerry monthly makerspace meetup, presenting about my experiences in Shenzhen in October 2014.  On most OzBerry Sundays I just hung around helping others with their projects.
http://www.meetup.com/OzBerryPi/events/219893298/

Other events:

Sydney Mini-Maker-Fair:
http://www.meetup.com/OzBerryPi/photos/26337841/#442801760
http://photos1.meetupstatic.com/photos/event/e/1/9/1/highres_440937745.jpeg

A quiet Sunday afternoon hacking:
http://photos2.meetupstatic.com/photos/event/7/8/f/2/highres_277590962.jpeg