Popular event types include fundraising efforts, sporting events, trade shows, concerts, parties, and more!
Almost any large, organised gathering of people qualifies as an event, and almost any event is improved with wristbands, ticket books, lanyards, and other promotional materials! Here are some examples of the most common events.
Fundraising events are any event that is held with the purpose of raising money for a cause or organisation. Common fundraising events include charity auctions, galas, school fundraisers, and drives.
At these events, ticket books are often used for raffle entries, admission, and donation tracking. Wristbands commonly used at fundraising events include silicone wristbands which are sold to help with fundraising efforts, as well as to raise awareness for a specific cause. The wristbands are often printed with a message or symbol that aligns with the fundraising goal. Additionally, lanyards are commonly used to hold event credentials, attendee information and key cards, often with the fundraising events logos or messaging.
Corporate conferences are large meetings for a business or organisation or members of the same field or profession.
They involve many people attending different talks, product launches, and casual meetups and are an opportunity for attendees to network and gain professional knowledge.
In these events, lanyards are a must to identify attendees and promote the conference.
Concerts and music festivals are gatherings to hear live music performed. This can be anything from an intimate jazz lounge with a couple dozen attendees, to massive festivals drawing thousands, or even hundreds of thousands of fans!
For events like these, wristbands are a must – they show admission from a far distance for security and serve as a desirable keepsake for guests.
The event types above are just the tip of the iceberg!
Promotional materials are also key for other corporate events (such as trade shows, expos, and open days), community gatherings (like fairs, weddings, birthday parties, and cultural festivals), and sporting events.
There are many different ticket types used at events! Which one you choose should depend on the style and purpose of the event, as well as other factors such as who will be in attendance, fundraising goals, and event type.
Tickets can either be fully customised for your event or pre-designed. Pre-designed tickets have plenty of options to choose from, including monetary denominations ($1, $2, $5, etc.) and vouchers for food items, glasses of wine, and other drinks.
There are countless different ticketing systems you could employ for your event, but here are some of the most commonly used event tickets.
General admission tickets are perhaps the most common type of ticket used at events and are used for entry management.
Tickets are sold in exchange for entry into an event and are often stamped, scanned, ripped, or collected upon admission.
VIP tickets are often used for events that have multiple ticket options. These tickets are more expensive than general admission tickets, and offer the buyer special privileges.
These include things such as better seats or spots at concerts, sporting events, and shows, backstage passes, early entry, or access to special areas.
Comp tickets are another commonly used ticket type, and are tickets that can be exchanged for a free item.
This is most commonly food or drink, but can also include things like rides, photo booths, and games.
Other common types of tickets include pre-sale tickets (sold a while before the event at a lower price, working to drum up admission numbers), custom ticket rolls, printed tickets, special rate tickets (such as group, child, or senior), and refundable tickets.
No matter what your event is, there’s a ticket out there that will work perfectly!
Wristbands are another versatile and useful promotional material to distribute at events. They can be used as simple admission accessories, access control solutions, or wearable marketing tools, and there are so many different wristband styles to choose from. Here are some of the most popular wristband options!
Tyvek is a strong synthetic paper that’s difficult to tear.
This makes it an excellent material for wristbands, as they’re sure to stay on for the duration of the event but can be cut off easily at home.
These wristbands are also very affordable and easy to customise.
If you’re looking for event wristbands that are also cool keepsakes, silicone is a great option.
These durable wristbands are fashionable and customisable, making them perfect for prizes and giveaways and building brand recognisability.
Wristbands can also be made from sturdy paper that’s fully compostable but still strong enough to last throughout the event.
This is a great option if your event is environmentally conscious, as well as minimising clean up and litter at larger events like concerts, fairs, and festivals.
Fabric wristbands are also a great option, as they are both green and collectable.
When you’re choosing which wristbands to get, it’s important to consider the requirements of your event. For instance, nighttime events and concerts are fun with glow-in-the-dark wristbands, and you’ll definitely need to go for waterproof wristbands for pool parties.
Colour-coded wristbands are great for distinguishing different types of ticket holders or as a safety measure, and custom-printed wristbands are a must if you anticipate attempts at fraudulent attendance.
Lanyards are also popular and effective wearables for events! High quality lanyards make events seem more official and cohesive, make it easy to identify attendees, and serve as a keepsake for after the fact. While there are many different lanyard styles, here are some of the most popular!
Even the most basic lanyard adds value to any event. Plain lanyards can serve as badge holders, access cards, tickets, or event passes, making your event flow easily and ensuring your attendees don’t lose their important belongings.
However, they’re just the starting point for event lanyards!
Customised lanyards display designs, logos, and branding of your event. This enriches your event, provides free marketing on an identification accessory, and is a big value add for your guests!
Printed lanyards are also essential for ensuring that there is no fraudulent entry.
Heat-sublimated lanyards are the gold standard of customised lanyards. Heat sublimation is the process by which ink is fused into fabric or material.
This means that your lanyards can have highly detailed custom designs while still remaining sharp, crisp, and bleed free. It also keeps the surface texture of the lanyard soft, and comfortable for all day wear.
There are also several customisations available on the lanyards themselves. Breakaway lanyards feature a clip in the back, which is an important feature for safety and ease of use.
Retractable badge holders on the end of lanyards are also great additions for when a badge needs to be scanned or swiped, such as entry cards or school IDs. While satin lanyards are the best in terms of feel, heavy-duty lanyards and tubular lanyards are out there, too.
There are also eco-friendly lanyards that are reusable and made out of post-consumer polyester.
Customisation options are the various choices you get to make when ordering event materials. Some items are fully customisable, while others may be pre-designed, or have a limited selection of variations.
Here are some of the most frequently encountered customisation options.
Full-colour customisation options vary depending on the whole base colour of the product or sometimes the selection of both the base colour and secondary or additional colours.
For instance, with custom silicone wristbands, you can select both the base colour and the text colour.
Text personalisation means you get to choose what is written on your product.
Commonly, this will be the name of your event or organisation (charity, team, school, etc.) It’s important to keep in mind that the size of the promotional material may limit some text personalisation options.
While there is some wiggle room in terms of font size and spacing, the best branding strategies keep text legible and uncrowded.
Logo printing is another great branding opportunity. This is when the logo of your event or organisation is emblazoned on the product.
Custom designs make promotional materials unique and better value, so you may want to make a logo if you don’t already have one.
Logos are also more immediately recognisable than text on smaller items, such as personalised tickets.
Other common customisation options include size variation, special event themes, unique shapes (e.g., heart, star), sequential numbering for tracking, personalised messages, and limited edition designs.
These tailored event materials mark your special occasion. While there is an increased cost associated with custom designs, they essentially pay for themselves by driving sales and increasing event awareness.
Bulk order discounts also steeply reduce the cost of customisation.
Along with being a marketing item and enhancing events for your attendees, wristbands, ticket books, and lanyards are practical event management tools.
They will help your event run safely and smoothly, making it a better experience for everyone involved. Some of the most common practical applications of these promotional materials include:
Entry management at events is always a priority.
Typically, this means ensuring attendees have paid, but entry management systems are also useful for free events to track attendance and/or manage crowd size.
Ticket books are the most commonly employed entry management systems, but wristbands and lanyards work well, too.
Patron identification during festivals, concerts, and parties is key, as gatecrashers are a real hazard.
Not only are they attending your event without paying, but they pose a safety risk as they add unknown numbers to crowd size and may bring in banned items.
For this reason, wristbands, lanyards, and other visible patron identification practices are key to keeping your event running smoothly. They allow staff to see quickly and from a distance who is attending legitimately.
Fundraising events with donor recognition is another practical application of identification systems based on promotional materials.
Specialised, visible wearables for attendees who have donated is one of the most effective fundraising strategies, especially when you have tiered items.
These items are also commonly used as access control methods for scenarios such as guest access control at corporate functions, VIP access management at events and concerts, and attendee tracking for safety purposes.
For example, a common wristband usage scenario is their use to differentiate between different session times at a trampoline park – marking who has had safety training and who still needs to be briefed.
Wearables and tickets also work well in lost item identification systems and coat or bag checks.
Finally, these items are crucial in fostering positive future outcomes, such as providing exposure through photo opportunities with branded items, networking facilitation through badges, and feedback collection via surveys.
In this day and age, sustainability in event planning is a huge priority for many.
This means considering environmental impact and green initiatives and employing eco-conscious planning for your event. Some easy things to look for when trying to keep your promotional materials in line with your green event planning practices are:
Biodegradable materials used in the production of your items ensure that they’re not adding litter and waste materials to the environment when they’re being made.
Having the end product be biodegradable as well is another bonus!
Recyclable options are available for many wristbands, ticket books, and lanyards. This makes sure your products are either being kept or being re-used, not ending up in a landfill!
Sustainable sourcing practices are another thing to consider when choosing where to obtain materials for your event.
You want to opt for items that have been obtained or produced with minimal negative environmental impact.
Some other considerations for sustainable events include eco-friendly printing methods, reducing plastic waste in events, doing a carbon footprint assessment, working in partnerships with green organisations, running awareness campaigns on sustainability, utilising reusable wristband programs, and working with donation programs for eco-friendly initiatives.
Effective marketing techniques using wristbands, ticket books, and lanyards will help publicise your event.
By utilising these items in your marketing tactics, brand visibility strategies, and audience engagement methods, you can maximise their value.
Here are some of the most beneficial event marketing techniques using promotional materials.
Promotional campaigns using wristbands, ticket books and lanyards are the most straightforward way to use these items for marketing.
By using customised items with your branding, you’re raising awareness and recognisability for your organisation.
Social media marketing techniques are any strategies that utilise Facebook, Instagram, X (formerly Twitter), TikTok, or other online platforms to advertise your event.
Distributing promotional material featuring hashtags or QR codes or generally making it attractive enough to post is a great way to foster social media engagement.
Influencer partnerships involve working with someone who has a large online following to promote your event.
This often means supplying them with free promotional materials or even paying them in exchange for them displaying your branding on their platform.
Other effective marketing techniques using social media include email marketing campaigns, content marketing strategies, event sponsorship opportunities, cross-promotion with vendors, community engagement initiatives, loyalty programs for repeat attendees, and post-event follow-up strategies.
Enhancing attendee experience through engagement involves gathering information about their time at your event and using that knowledge to improve future events.
There are many feedback collection methods you can utilise for attendee satisfaction tracking, but the most common (and effective) are:
Feedback collection via surveys is easy to quantify, easy for your guests to do, and easy for you to implement.
One of the best customer engagement techniques using promotional materials is to include a link or QR to a survey on your tickets or other items.
Interactive experiences at events themselves are the other way to ensure a high level of feedback from your attendees.
Having a fun activity they can participate in during the time of the event itself incentivises your guests to review their experience.
Other ways to enhance attendee experience through engagement include fostering social media engagement during events, employing personalised communication strategies, providing incentives for feedback participation, utilising community-building initiatives, having gamification elements in events, and following up with post-event engagement strategies.
Understanding production timelines for event materials is key to making sure your event goes smoothly, and nothing is missing.
There are many steps that go into making these promotional items and being aware of them can help you manage your expectations, and leave yourself enough time to get the quality products you need for your event.
Standard production times are the average time it takes for an order to be completed.
For example, at The Wristband Co., this is one day for ticket books and about 10 days for custom wristbands and lanyards.
It’s important to remember that shipping time may not be included in standard production times, and international shipping logistics can cause extra wait times.
Rush order options are sometimes available if your event is coming up soon. Generally, The Wristband Co. is happy to rush an order at no additional cost, provided they can accommodate the request.
However, rushed orders should only be requested in special circumstances.
Other factors affecting production timelines include Lead time considerations, seasonal demand fluctuations, order fulfilment processes, quality control checks during production, communication with suppliers, bulk order processing, and custom design approval stages.
When planning timelines for events, it’s important to consider these factors and ensure you have contingency plans in place to mitigate the impact of production delays.
Ensuring quality in event materials is an important step for any reputable company.
This guarantees that all materials received are as ordered, high value, and in line with compliance standards.
Some of the most common ways to ensure product quality include:
Material durability tests are a key part of Total Quality Management (TQM).
The material of wristbands, ticket books, and lanyards need to be durable enough to retain their quality for at least the duration of the event, as well as be fit for purpose.
Material testing procedures are done to ensure that everything is as sturdy as it should be.
Print quality checks ensure that printing is correct, crisp, and legible.
This includes colour consistency checks, other non-destructive testing techniques, and quality certifications.
Compliance with safety standards is another crucial step in the production process.
All materials need to be produced in a safe and legal way and need to be up to safety standards themselves.
Other quality assurance practices include supplier audits, customer feedback loops, continuous improvement processes, testing samples before mass production, managing warranty policies on products and return/exchange policies.
You can always contact the supplier with any questions about the timeline, procedures, or other queries.
Navigating regulations in event planning is one of the most important legal considerations for event planners.
Safety regulations for public events (such as occupancy limits, alcohol licensing, and food safety standards) are put in place to keep attendees out of harm’s way.
Other regulations are put into place to minimise the negative impact your event has on its surroundings, such as noise regulations and environmental compliance standards. You’re also likely to come across:
Safety standards for materials used in your event need to be carefully monitored to ensure no harm is done.
Promotional materials bought from a reputable manufacturer will generally be in compliance with safety standards, as this is checked in production.
Legal requirements for ticket sales are put in place by the government and may vary depending on your region.
These laws are put in place to protect both the organisation and the consumer and include regulations about pricing, transparency about event details, and more.
Accessibility regulations for events ensure that events are accessible for people with disabilities.
These include things like protections against discrimination, wheelchair access, reasonable accommodations, and more.
Other common event regulations include data protection laws related to attendee information, insurance requirements for large gatherings, fire safety regulations at venues, health regulations (especially post-COVID), and local ordinances related to public gatherings.
Ensuring that your event follows these regulations and best practices in compliance reporting leads to fun and safe events.
Ensuring accessibility at events fosters a welcoming and inclusive environment, as well as meeting regulatory standards.
Good events are accessible and make reasonable accommodations to make sure that every guest has their needs met and has a good time.
Using inclusive event planning strategies will make sure everything goes off without a hitch. Some things to consider include:
Wristbands for special needs guests are a great tool for promoting inclusivity at events.
For example, having custom silicone braille wristbands available for blind and low-vision guests ensures that everyone can enjoy their wearables.
Lanyard designs accommodating disabilities are also a popular inclusivity tool.
For instance, sunflower lanyards are a common way to indicate that a guest has a hidden disability and may require additional patience and support.
Sensory-friendly event spaces are spaces that are inclusive to guests with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) or other sensory processing difficulties.
This could look like hosting an event without loud music and harsh overhead lighting, or ensuring there are quiet, calm places for guests to go to if they need a break.
Other ways to ensure accessibility at events include providing staff training on accessibility issues and ADA compliance for events; providing things like transportation arrangements for disabled guests, accessible ticket purchasing options, language translation services or sign-language interpreters; having clear signage at events and assistive technology availability, such as audio description services, and hiring only wheelchair-accessible venues.
Perhaps the most important accessibility measure, however, is providing easy feedback mechanisms from disabled attendees, following the advice given, and constantly striving to learn and improve.
Following current trends in event planning will make your event modern, popular, and cutting-edge. Some of the emerging trends in events that have been popping up lately include:
Technology integration is the use of devices and other tech to improve events.
Examples of seamless technology integration include augmented reality experiences, generally through the use of smartphones, contactless check-in systems, and AI-powered event assistants.
Hybrid event formats (in-person and virtual) are also skyrocketing in popularity and are made possible through the advanced technology we have access to today.
Sustainable practices in event management are a higher priority now than ever before.
Following green event practices and using sustainable event materials are key steps to hosting a modern, eco-friendly event.
Other current trends include enhanced attendee experiences through personalisation and the use of data analytics in planning; exerting social media influence on event promotion and the rise of experiential marketing in events; including virtual reality experiences at events utilising health and safety innovations post-pandemic; and community-focused event planning.
Looking at real-life examples of successful events is a great event planning strategy! Lessons learned from past events can inform every aspect of your upcoming occasion.
Some of the best strategies at popular recent events include:
Successful events using wristbands, ticket-books and lanyards are happening with increasing frequency.
Massive festivals like Coachella Music Festival and South by Southwest (SXSW) use scannable, individualised wristbands as multi-day event passes.
Branded lanyards and badges are used by some of the biggest events in the world, like the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) and the Olympic Games.
Major sporting events like the Super Bowl and the Rugby World Cup offer collectable, coveted tickets. Excellent use of promotional items is one thing that all of the world’s biggest events have in common.
Other strategies for successful events include innovative approaches to ticketing, analysis of attendee feedback, comparison of different event types, researching the impact of branding on attendee experience, the use of technology in enhancing security, reading case studies on sustainability efforts, achieving fundraising successes through effective planning, and utilising collaboration results between vendors.
Lessons learned from past events don’t always come from successes, it’s important to look at where things went wrong as well.
For example, following the Astroworld tragedy in 2021, new safety regulations and crowd control measures were put in place, changing the standard planning practices of concerts and music festivals around the world.
No matter the occasion, custom ticket books are sure to add a personal touch, provide marketing for your event, and be a practical management solution! If you’re curious about The Wristband Co.’s products, and how they can benefit you in your next event, you can flick them an email at [email protected] or talk to one of their friendly team members at 08 8363 4850.
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38 Little Rundle Street Kent Town SA 5067
08 8363 4850
ABN: 62 239 772 879
The Wristband Co. is located on the traditional lands for the Kaurna people, and we respect their spiritual relationship with their Country. We also acknowledge the Kaurna people as the custodians of the Adelaide region and that their cultural and heritage beliefs are still as important to the living Kaurna people today.
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