MediaCityUK appoints brand and placemaking agencies ahead of expansion plans

Have your say on the future of MediaCityUK here bit.ly/MCUKfuture.

As part of their research, the agencies have today launched the leading creative, tech and digital hub’s largest stakeholder engagement and research programme to date which will run for three weeks.

The digital survey will invite MediaCityUK businesses, residents, local communities, partners, policymakers and visitors to share their views, perceptions and experiences of MediaCityUK.

HemingwayDesign has a track record in the delivery and influencing of placemaking concepts across the UK, while Modern Designers’ expertise in creating brands for some of the UK’s best-known businesses complements the partnership.

Josie Cahill, Head of Stakeholder Engagement, said: “MediaCityUK is set to double in size over the next decade, with thousands more people living, working and visiting here so it’s the right moment to launch this important piece of work which will influence our future vision.
“A great place has people at its heart. MediaCityUK’s evolution is not just about buildings but about creating a place which serves the needs and aspirations of the people and organisations who are based here as well as the local community.
“We’re delighted to have appointed HemingwayDesign who are behind some of the most transformative and exciting placemaking projects in the UK, including; Kings Cross, Blackburn and York. Pairing them with Modern Designers whose extensive experience in the creative, digital and cultural sectors results in a powerful collaboration and we’re looking forward to working with them.”

Wayne Hemingway partner at HemingwayDesign said: “MediaCityUK has already attracted a cohort of world renowned brands, is located at the heart of a vibrant conurbation and as it enters its second decade it feels like the time is right to think about the brand’s purpose and values and accelerate the placemaking.”

With its roots in Manchester, Modern Designers is an insight-led brand agency whose current projects include a major Built-to-Rent scheme with Capital & Centric and Henry Boot, and the largest retail development in the Netherlands, for Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield. It has also developed brands and projects for clients as diverse as JD, Condé Nast, the Whitworth and the Science Museum Group.

Susie Stubbs, Managing Director of Modern Designers. “MediaCityUK was a game-changer when it launched 10 years ago, and it’s been instrumental in changing the creative, digital and media landscape in the North. We’re genuinely excited to be working with HemingwayDesign and the team at MediaCityUK and are looking forward to hearing people’s views on what it is, and what it can be.”

Have your say on the future of MediaCityUK here bit.ly/MCUKfuture

The survey can be completed here:

MediaCityUK is a joint venture between Peel L&P and Legal and General Capital.