15 Years of LFPS

LFPS Managing Director Rob Myer tells the tale of how one man, 12 PAR cans and a Ford KA became a fully-fledged business.

Fifteen years ago, Managing Director Rob Myer started Light Fantastic Production Services with a Ford KA and twelve second-hand PAR cans. In an entrepreneurial moment, he had decided to buy the lights from PRG, one of his old employers. At that time, says Myer, “the business was essentially me stuffing a handful of lights into my boot until they wouldn’t fit, then driving them out to weddings, parties and everything in between to put on a show.”

A lot has changed since then. Employee numbers at LFPS have gone from one to 35, and the team has just celebrated its 15th anniversary. As the business passes that milestone, Myer takes a retrospective look at how it got to where it is today.

“I had been in the live events industry for many years as a freelancer before I ever thought about setting up a business”, says Myer. “I worked as a Lighting Technician for everyone from Swedish House Mafia to the BRIT Awards to Peter Kay, and toured for the likes of PRG, Siyan and HSL. I was surrounded by people who were at the top of their game, and I always held my work – and the work we do at LFPS – to that same high standard.”

Myer believes that attention to detail is the reason why a lot of LFPS’ early clients became repeat clients. In the early stages of the business, the focus was on winning customers’ loyalty by delivering incredible projects. It wasn’t always easy, however: “In the world of event production, there is really nowhere to hide if things go wrong, and that is especially true when you’re moving from international productions to starting your own business with a small team,” says Myer.

At this point, the business was operating out of garages and storage units. With continued growth, it became essential to take on some commercial premises along with LFPS’ first full-time employee: Andy Vere, who is still with the business today as Director of Production. The team and the business continued to grow, primarily through word of mouth. “One job turned into another, and we built a roster of agencies and event companies based on recommendation,” says Myer.

That growth eventually led LFPS to move into its current building in Elstree, North London, which houses offices, warehouse space and scenic workshops. “When we moved into our current building, I remember thinking that ten employees would be the impossible dream. We have very quickly become a family 35-strong, working on major events and projects all over the UK and Europe. The business has snowballed, growing organically to get to where we are now as a result of everyone’s hard work and dedication.

“As we have grown, though, I think we have kept the same values at the core of the business. At LFPS we always want to do more, bigger, better. We have the technical expertise to deliver complex projects, but we also have the imagination and creativity to see the bigger picture. I’m very proud of the team we’ve built, and excited to see where the next 15 years take us.”