Hey #CSIPlus Community! We are back with our first #CSIPlus Meet the Member Interview of 2026, and today we are joined by Matt Lloyd, the Managing Director at 3LR Lighting. Take it away, Matt!
What do you do at your company and in what circumstances would I come to you for something?
“I’m Managing Director at 3LR Lighting. We’re a UK-based specialist lighting consultancy and solutions provider that delivers state-of-the-art lighting design, project support and technology expertise across the maritime sector. We are also a manufacturer representative for ETC’s Architectural lighting range, as well as several other brands, meaning we have immediate access to the latest LED technology.
Clients should approach us if they want to relight an area on their ship and need a company that will turn their creative brief into a living, breathing reality. We are able to offer end-to-end support from initial consultation through to specification, budgeting, system design and installation coordination. Our guiding principle is ‘lighting by emotion’ meaning we’re driven by the emotional impact lighting has and want to ensure all of our clients (and, in turn, their clients) get to experience this too.”
What’s the biggest misconception people have about your position?
“Many aren’t aware of the full breadth and depth of the services we offer. Whilst many know about our lighting services, they don’t realise that we can in fact work at any level in any size project anywhere in the world regardless of its current stage. Where needed, we can also integrate within a project and bring on board designers, contractors, integrators and stakeholders. Similarly, we’re pioneers of ensuring that our land-based projects can also work on a cruise ship and that it is indeed possible to bring high-level lighting concepts to spaces that aren’t stationary.”
Does your company have any upcoming projects/events/ exciting news that you can talk about?
“We were recently asked to provide a lighting design that covered auditorium, emergency and workers’ lighting in the National Theatre’s Dorfman Theatre in London. Working alongside the National’s Lighting Infrastructure Manager Paul Hornsby as well as integrators Push The Button (PTB), we delivered the world’s first ETC Navis 50 FTW fitting with ETC F-Drive RX.”
What has been your favourite project to work on?
“When working as part of my previous company (which was actually a manufacturer), my favourite project was working on refit areas of both the Disney Magic and Disney Wonder cruise ships. I did this in partnership with David Turnbull and Mareleng in Florida. What really stood out about both of these projects was the innovation and imagination of the teams involved and how we all came together to really push what could be achieved on these ships.”
What behaviour or personality trait do you most attribute your success to, and why?
“My passion for lighting and the emotional connection we all have inside us. Our company’s mantra is ‘lighting by emotion’ and 3LR is actually named after the ‘third light receptor’, which is a receptor discovered in the early 00s within our eyes that allows us to have the emotional connection with what we see around us and controls our circadian rhythm. We want to create an emotional response with any space we work in and use LED lighting in a meaningful and ultimately personal way. This commitment is one that has resonated with our clients over the years, who have then been able to see just how powerful lighting can be when driven by the emotional response it can have.”
Could you share the most significant obstacle you have faced in your career so far, particularly in cruise work? Or, have you ever encountered any problems in cruise work that required you to learn a new skillset?
“As with any industry, it is sometimes a challenge to convince others to embrace innovation and pursue methods that perhaps break from the norm (especially when there are so many different parties involved throughout the various stages of a process). Similarly, the initial investment costs versus the returns can sometimes be a sticking point. Though having said that, we worked with a global entertainment company and their new cruise ship line to developed a ship-wide lighting system concept so change can happen.”
What inspired you to pursue this field of work? Or, what was your first taste of the cruise industry?
“Having worked in lighting for 39 years, from regional theatres to West End to manufacturing on a global scale to now specifying and designing, I’ve seen a lot of change and innovation during that time, as well as how lighting can transform spaces that might often be overlooked. For me, the maritime industry fell into this category, given that the ship is basically a floating hotel and everything the customer sees, such as the fittings and décor, is controlled and influenced by lighting.”
What’s one thing most people don’t know about you?
“It’s that I am, in fact, a circumnavigator, having taken part in the Clipper Around the World Yacht Race in 2002. This was an 11-month voyage from Liverpool to Liverpool via the Panama Canal and Cape of Good Hope and I was very lucky to be part of the team representing Bristol. It’s something I’ll never forget and I appreciate how I am one of the lucky few who’s had the chance to take part in such a unique experience.”
What are the most significant changes you have seen in the Cruise Interior sector since you started, and what emerging trends do you foresee shaping its future?
“The consideration of the passenger experience is something which is more prominent than it’s ever been. Cruises always have to ensure they’re offering the best travelling experience possible and so lighting, AV and furnishings have become a top priority – something which is exciting for us, especially with lighting and sound advancing as it has done in recent years.”
Do you have a fun-fact or piece of advice about your company/industry that you can share?
“My best piece of advice is to never be afraid of your ideas. If we don’t evolve, we stay stuck in the same place so it’s important to always strive to do something that nobody else has before. In a similar vein, I always remember award-winning entrepreneur Simon Woodroffe telling me that the trick to life is to step outside your comfort zone, stay outside long enough to grow, because it always will! That’s something that’s always stayed with me.”
Do you specialise in a particular type of product? What makes it different to competitors?
“As a specifier and a manufacturer representative, we work closely with ETC’s architectural range of products, which include a centralised driver system, a range of architectural lighting fittings and a control system that can be applied to a single zone or a ship-wide solution.”
What kind of questions do you ask before beginning a project, and which piece of information is of utmost value in planning a successful project?
“The most important question to ask at the start of any project is always – how do you want your customer to feel and where do you want them to go? Once you know this, it becomes the driving point for the lighting and its design moving forward. You need to fully understand what emotional experience the end user is going to have as this is what will keep them returning year on year.”
What role does sustainability play in your company? How do you incorporate environmentally friendly practices and materials?
“Sustainability is hugely important to us as a company. In our day-to-day working life, we all work remotely, which minimises travel, and when we do meet, we ensure we take public transport where we can. Similarly, the manufacturers we represent are all committed to making products that are as environmentally friendly as possible, with their fixtures having a ten-year warranty and maximising longevity.”
What goals have you met so far in 2026? Or, what goals/milestones are you working to meet this year?
“It sounds quite simple but our goal is to just keep working with our amazing maritime clients. We want to ensure that as many of them as possible realise the impact lighting can truly have in their space and that they’re aware of the full range of services we provide to ensure their teams give passengers a truly unforgettable experience.”
Wow, what a great way to start 2026! Thanks for a brilliant Meet the Member Interview Matthew Lloyd! 🚢
