The EPIC Tour Continues – Next Stop Elan Valley

Having turned many heads and appeared in many selfies over the past two weeks, Visit Wales’ EPIC art installation now continues on its tour of Wales as it travels South to the Elan Valley Visitor Centre. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

EPIC will move from Llandegla and will appear in the Elan Valley on Monday 8th August and remain there until the 16th of August. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

The giant mirrored letters, reaching 4 meters high and 11 meters wide, forming the word EPIC is part of the latest phase of Visit Wales’ marketing campaign to promote Wales as an adventure destination. It will pop up unannounced at locations across the length and breadth of Wales over the summer. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

Ed Parsons from Welsh Water, whose reservoir will be playing host to EPIC for the next week, said ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

“We’re excited to be welcoming the installation to our beautiful Cwm Elan. The scenery here is spectacular and we’re honoured to have been chosen as a location with so many amazing landscapes to choose from in Wales. We’re sure it will have a really positive impact, helping to highlight the world class views and dramatic landscapes Wales has to offer anyone looking to ‘Find their Epic’.” ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

This innovative travelling art installation will act as a focal point for visitors’ selfies and is designed to encourage image and content sharing on social media using the campaign hashtag #FindYourEpic. The tour is supported by an integrated campaign consisting of PR and other media activity including digital advertising, e-mail marketing and social media activity targeting families and visitors in our core regions in North West England, The Midlands, Yorkshire, London and the South East. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

Ken Skates, Cabinet Secretary for Economy and Infrastructure in the Welsh Government, said: ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

“This is an incredible time for tourism in Wales. We are seeing record numbers of people coming here and staying here and it’s all because of our increasing profile on a world stage. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

“The buzz from the Euros is fantastic and I’m confident that with the development of new innovative attractions, the quality of the tourism offer and more of these kind of epic adventures, we will see a further increase in tourism in Wales. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

“The EPIC letters are huge in scale and will be popping up in destinations right across Wales, encouraging people to find their own epic experiences in the Year of Adventure.” ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

Designed by Visit Wales’s creative agency, Smorgasbord, the EPIC letters have been made by Wild Creations, the Cardiff-based company that created the ‘Ball in the Wall’ at Cardiff castle for the 2015 Rugby World Cup. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

The EPIC word has been produced with a mirror coating designed to reflect the beauty of the Welsh landscape. The installation took three weeks and four people to build, and each letter weighs a staggering 350kg. Ten people will be needed to install it in each location. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​