Our Managing Director Matt Lloyd has put together a few words about the past year:
And just like that, we’re now approaching the end of 2025. As always when I find myself in mid-December, I’m left asking just where the past twelve months have gone. That said, one of the main reasons they’ve seemingly flown is due to the fact that 3LR has been so busy as a company. As such, I wanted to reflect on what’s been yet another brilliant year for us – not only in terms of the projects we’ve delivered but also the people who make up the organisation alongside the commitments we’ve made to both the wider industry as well as our local communities.
Projects
This year has seen us deliver some truly spectacular and incredibly ambitious projects. Ones that stand out for me are our work at the Southbank Centre’s Royal Festival Hall, where we oversaw their brand-new house lighting system, as well as our work at their neighbour’s The National Theatre where we oversaw the lighting design and upgrade in their Dorfman Theatre Space. As a company whose mantra is lighting by emotion and who’s aware of the power light can have in any space, we were delighted to help see this being fulfilled through some truly unique projects; whether that’s Elvis Evolution – a purpose-built, immersive experience which takes audiences through Elvis’ life story – or Vivedia Crematoriums – who created the world’s first-ever experiential funeral venue to make their services as personal as possible. We also continued our work in maritime, places of worship (which saw Matt, Simon and Stuart demonstrating lighting fixtures high up on in St Paul’s roof!) as well as residential homes; with more customers than ever appreciating the importance of lighting in a space that’s the most personal to them.
People
Of course, none of our projects could be delivered without our brilliant team. I’m incredibly lucky to be surrounded by a group who truly embody what 3LR stands for, whether that’s Special Projects Director Simon Needle, Business Development Manager Stuart West, Project Manager Sandra James or Head of Finance Barbara Lloyd. This year also marks our in-house Lighting Designer Karoliina Helin’s first full year with the company as a permanent employee. She’s an incredible asset, with our clients able to draw on her design skills in order to see their creative visions brought to life. She’s also been the driving force behind our achieving the BSI Kitemark as well as BAFE certification for our emergency lighting design. As a team, we’ve travelled to several trade shows and events together this year, including PLASA London, Showlight in France, LiGHT25, CSI Design Expo in Hamburg as well as ISE in Barcelona Spain and both PLASA shows of course. And whilst I was the one who first founded the company, all of us very much make it what it is today – and I couldn’t be more proud.
Charity/Community Work
Alongside growing as a business and delivering ground-breaking projects, we also know how important it is to give back wherever possible and allow others to share in your success. That’s why, we’ve continued to support a range of organisations that are local to 3LR. This includes sponsoring the local cricket team, the local football team and the local rugby team; all based in Wedmore. We also sponsored the Wedmore Real Ale Festival which continues to thrive year-on-year and where I volunteered once again this year (for which I received several amusing comments from the team!). We also sponsor several important industry organisations and their events, include Backup as well as The Lighting Lunch.
PLASA Chair
This year also marked my first as PLASA Chair – a position I feel very privileged to hold. For those who don’t know, PLASA (Professional Lighting and Sound Association) is the UK’s leading body and trade association for companies in the live entertainment technology industry, which promotes best working practices, safety and networking opportunities. I’d been on the board for the past 14 years so am fully aware of the organisation’s vast responsibilities and the vital role it plays within our community. As Chair, my aim is to allow us to keep growing and serve the industry’s needs, by supporting as many business and individuals as possible; as well as ensuring we’re an organisation for everyone and bringing in as many new people as possible and ensuring we stay relevant as an association to our members.
I really hope you too have had a brilliant 2025 and here’s to the next twelve months ahead.
Matt.