LS EVENTS were once again on London in June this year for the UEFA Champions League Final . For LS Events it was an opportunity to help prove that the UK could host landmark football events not only safely but in style .
“ I really wanted to show that huge football events can be done well in England . I am a massive football fan but I support Newcastle United , so I have to look elsewhere for success ,” smiles Reynolds .
The Champions League Final took place on 1 June at Wembley Stadium , but the associated activity stretched well beyond the North London venue . LS Events had been taken on to oversee activations at no less than seven sites across London .
The company produced , programmed and managed the four-day Champions League Festival across five London sites , with family and football-focused activities running at Trafalgar Square , Regent Street , Somerset House , Potters Fields Park and the South Bank from 30 May to 2 June . Among the Festival highlights was the UEFA Champions League Legends 5-aside Tournament , involving veterans such as Patrick Vieira , Roberto Carlos and Luís Figo , playing football in a transformed Somerset House courtyard . Along with the four-day Champions League Festival , LS Events also oversaw two fan meeting points in the city ; with Borussia Dortmund supporters entertained and accommodated at a 20,000-capacity site in Hyde Park , while the Real Madrid faithful were looked after at a 13,600-cap area on Victoria Embankment .
The hugely complex operation was the result of a partnership with the GLA , whose head of major sports events Laura Pierce led on the project alongside Reynolds and LS Events operations director Jess Noakes . At its peak , the project saw more than 50 people work on the planning , and in excess of 180 people on its delivery across the seven venues . Among the many key members of the vast team were assistant operations director
Jim King
Lis Moon , permits & licensing director Beth Smith , project manager Izzy Sturrock , and Rob Silver who worked as the commercial director .
No less than 100 different suppliers were involved in the project across the seven venues , with overlay alone involving Losberger De Boer , Acorn Event Structures and Original Technical Productions .
Reynolds says that among the many challenges involved , was the limited notice as to which teams would be battling it out in the final : “ Once the finalists were known , we had a matter of weeks to work with them to design , brand and curate the respective fan meeting points so that they reflected the club ’ s colours and identity .”
Noakes says the planning process was hugely complex , not least due to the limited timescales the team had to work with when accessing central London locations including Regent Street and Victoria Embankment .
“ We closed Regent Street to vehicles for an overnight build and then did the same for the de-rig , while facilitating all of the existing businesses ’ deliveries ,” she says . “ Regent Street hadn ' t been carfree since before Covid , and it has had significant changes to the layout , which makes it very complex . Similarly , the fan meeting point on Victoria Embankment meant an overnight build the night before the event . I cannot express the logistical challenge that we faced here , and our site management teams were so impressive
to achieve the high-quality site builds within the timescale .”
Reynolds is also understandably proud of the results . He says the project proved to be another career high : “ I ' m really proud that we were able to work with all the other agencies , and the GLA , to deliver a really safe event , and one that UEFA is very happy with .”
LS Events is working on an everwidening range of events and at locations around the world , with it having supported the delivery of Cape Town E-Prix and the Greenko Hyderabad E-Prix . Among the first-time clients it is working with this year is LIV Golf and Pride London .
“ We ' re definitely able to take on whatever comes our way ,” avers Grindle , but the company ’ s directors are both quick to point out that their focus is not on growth for growth ’ s sake .
Says Grindle , “ We ' re not a corporate structure where we must hit x per cent growth every year . It ' s about organically growing and holding firm to our values we believe in as a company , which include looking after our staff and delivering a good job for everybody every time . Growth organically comes from that .”
LS Events founder Jim King says he is very proud that he started the company and the foundations that were built , however , he emphasises that the real story is in the journey and not the past : “ To see the company that we started 20 years ago now deliver the projects that LS Events produces is quite incredible . The last five years especially have seen the company grow , not just in scale and revenue and other business metrics , but more impressively in its vision and its culture .
“ When I walk into LS now , I still see the values and ideals that the company was set up on but there is now a hugely impressive culture and working dynamic . LS is without doubt the best in class at what it does , which is testament to the leadership of Dave and Steve , the fantastic team that they have assembled and the clients that they serve ." accessaa . co . uk 39