Northwestern hosts annual Evanston MashUp

Northwestern University once again played host to the seventh annual Evanston MashUp, an event that brought all of Evanston under one big tent on the lakefront of the university.

This year at the event, the Northwestern and Evanston Skilled Trades Training program was honored.

“A community that connects and knows each other has a high chance of doing well,” Patrick Hughes, MashUp co-chair and owner of the small West Evanston business Inclusion Solutions, said. “We produced the MashUp to bring different circles of influence together and to just see what magic would happen.”

The Evanston MashUp is a celebratory evening hosting more than 500 people for conversation and networking opportunities with a fine cuisine and music. The wide variety of guests include entrepreneurs, executives, artists, accountants, city leaders and CEOs.

“Seven years ago when we launched the MashUp, Evanston and Northwestern faced some challenges in their town/gown relationship,” Hughes said. “The mayor, the president and many others have worked diligently to improve relations, and they have had great success. This is a big deal. We’d like to think that the MashUp and all it stands for — bringing Evanstonians together under one big tent — has helped a little to bridge the gap.”