Hunt Showdown

I recently started getting back into Hunt and I'm enjoying the event stuff enough to want to participate. However my timing is poor because I joined with just a couple of weeks left in the event which makes a lot of the progression seem pointless and even a bit discouraging.

I know I should just enjoy the game for what it is, with or without an event. The game was great even before events were a thing. But the current event design seems to maximally reward players who buy in right at the beginning and burn out over the course of the event, who likely quit and play something else until the beginning of the next Hunt event. This is an old complaint I have seen on reddit but never really felt personally until now. I've only been back in the Hunt for a few days now so maybe I have the wrong impression and that complaint doesn't really apply anymore.

What are some ways to make the most of this event for a late joining non-battlepass Hunter like myself? Are there any rumours about when the next event might begin?