Welcome to the community!
There are plenty of ways you can be involved in DEF CON all year round. You can weigh in on planning or propose a new event on the DEF CON Forums. You could meet up with hackers in your area by joining or starting DEF CON Group. You can upload your photos to DEF CON Pics to preserve memories of the show for posterity.
Keep your eye on this space for info on happenings surrounding the Hacker Community.