A new after-hours networking event aims to take Cincinnati YPs out of their comfort zone, introducing them to people who may think and look a little different from themselves.
MashUp Cincinnati is a joint effort of
Blackbook EMG and
HYPE (Harnessing Young Professional Energy), an initiative of the http://www.cincinnatichamber.com/cham.aspx Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber.
MashUp (a word referring to bringing divergent songs, technology or applications together to form something new), is working to bring together YPs from different business and ethnic backgrounds in a fun and fresh way.
"There are a lot of networking events in this city, but MashUp is about celebrating diversity across the corporate and cultural divides," said Stephen Samuels, Blackbook vice president of client experience."There is a need for that. Some of our clients, for instance, have a number of groups within their corporate organizations that don't even reach out and collaborate with each other."
Blackbook is a growing startup tech company whose Compass technology matches employee performance with local events, venues and businesses. Among its clients are Macy's, Procter & Gamble, Ethicon, TriHealth and LPK.
Rodney Williams, an assistant brand manager at P&G, is one of MashUp's hosts. He moved to Cincinnati from the Washington, D.C. area about two years ago, and was on one of the original proponents of the MashUp concept.
"I came to Cincinnati and quickly saw the need to collectively gather Cincinnati's diverse young professionals as they were the segment most vulnerable to isolation. There were a number of Young Professional groups but they all lacked diversity and remained somewhat in their segmented ethnic groups," Williams said.
MashUp started with its first event its first networking event in October. A second one is planned for Dec. 15, 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the new Lunar nightclub on Fifth and Elm downtown. Register here for
tickets.
The first event was held at
Below Zero Lounge in Over-the-Rhine , and more than 200 people showed up. There was a DJ who played a wide variety of tunes. There was also food and a salsa and hip hop dance group. Blackbook also introduced the
Poken ™, an e-business card technology popular in Europe, to the group.
"MashUp is a unique and fun way to bring together people from a lot of different backgrounds," Samuels said. "Really, at any time, anything could happen."
Writer: Feoshia Henderson
Source: Blackbook vice president of client experience Stephen Samuels
You can follow Feoshia on twitter
@feoshiawrites
Enjoy this story?
Sign up for free solutions-based reporting in your inbox each week.