Wigan Council release promo video with a difference

View the Hyperbrain video here

A creative viral video made to raise Wigan Borough’s profile as a destination for investment has been backed by one of the major players in the Northern Powerhouse and attracted 150,000 views so far.

The ‘Invest in Wigan’ video, created by the Wigan Works campaign to boost investment and jobs in Wigan over the coming years, aims to boost the profile of Wigan as a destination for investment globally.

The video has received the backing Manchester City Council chief executive Sir Howard Bernstein – a key player in the creation of a Northern Powerhouse.

It’s also been backed by bloggers and digital commentators nationally and internationally with one, Creative Review, describing it as “genius” to its 1.2 million Twitter followers.

Sir Howard last week showcased the video at MIPIM, the world’s leading property market, currently being held in Cannes, France.

Sir Howard said: “We are showcasing Greater Manchester on an international stage at MIPIM and all boroughs in Greater Manchester are  working together in order to secure new employment and investment opportunities.

“There are huge growth opportunities ahead for freight, distribution and logistics in Wigan Borough and the employment potential is enormous.

“Invest in Wigan is a powerful message and I’m happy to be able to play my part by spreading the word about all that Wigan Borough has to offer.”

The video features a satellite super computer which has spent two years orbiting the earth to detect the world’s next major business hotspot and delivers its final conclusion: “Invest in Wigan!”

Its conclusion on Wigan being the next big global growth hotspot is broadcast on national TV networks and greeted with delight by international stock markets as well as investors and developers who are now rushing to invest in Wigan.

Hyperbrain cites a wide range of reasons why Wigan is a great choice for business including:

Great road and rail connections, access to two major growth corridors on the M6 and M61 and close proximity to numerous other motorways as well as Liverpool and Manchester.

• A wide range of high quality business accommodation available now for all sizes and types of business
• High quality land ready for development
• High quality of life but low cost of living
• A pro-business council
• One of the biggest business Expos in the North West
• A key player in Greater Manchester devolution

Councillor David Molyneux, cabinet member for regeneration, said: “While our Hyperbrain video is funny, our team at Wigan Council are deadly serious when it comes to attracting business to Wigan Borough.

“Wigan is open for business and our Wigan Works campaign shows we are very business-minded. We have a top class workforce ready to fulfil the new opportunities coming our way.”

Councillor Molyneux said that while Hyperbrain may be fictitious the qualities Wigan has as a place to invest are very real.

He said: “Wigan is a prime location for access to the North of England for logistics and distribution as the new Poundland and Nice-Pak investments show.

“We also have a wide range of employment sites available now for businesses to relocate to or to help them expand.

Wigan Borough is the second largest council in Greater Manchester and includes the towns of Wigan, Leigh, Ashton-in-Makerfield and Tyldesley.

There are more than 320,000 people in Wigan Borough and its population is growing.

To find out more about specific sites in Wigan Borough available to buy, lease or develop visit:  www.wiganworks.com

About Wigan Council

Wigan Works is Wigan Council’s strategy to create new jobs, attract investment, develop skills in the workforce and improve infrastructure to boost growth.

As the second most populated local authority area in Greater Manchester Wigan Borough is a key player in the making of a Northern Powerhouse.

Wigan Borough has 320,000 residents and includes the large towns of Wigan and Leigh along with smaller towns of Ashton-In-Makerfield, Atherton, Tyldesley, Standish and Golborne.

Wigan is ideally located for business between Manchester and Liverpool and is at the heart of the motorway network. It has excellent rail links to London, Manchester, Liverpool and Birmingham and is also well located to Manchester Airport, Liverpool John Lennon Airport and the Port of Liverpool and the Manchester Ship Canal, which handle more than 40 million tonnes of cargo a year.

The Wigan Works vision is to create a place where people want to invest, live, work and visit. This will be achieved through the council’s business support teams to support business growth, investment in up-skilling the workforce and apprenticeships and development of a digital and physical infrastructure that enables the borough to reach its potential.

Wigan Council’s Business Engagement team can be reached on: business@wigan.gov.uk, 01942 489190 or visit the Council’s website www.wigan.gov.uk/businessengagement.