How to Design a Lanyard for Conferences

When organising a conference there is plenty to think about and organise from organising speakers to arranging catering, but lanyards, name badges and other forms of identification are also hugely important. Lanyards are highly versatile, not only can they serve to promote your brand, but they can also be a convenient place to hold name badges or event passes, as well as acting as a form of admission and crowd control. 

A well designed conference lanyard can not only make all the difference to your attendees experience but they’re also incredibly useful for admission control and security at your event too. 

Here are some of the main things any conference organiser should take into account when making lanyards for their event.

Access levels

At most events, there are at least two levels of people in attendance; guests and staff. Depending on the scale and nature of your conference, you may have many different access levels to account for. Using a colour coded system on lanyards for different levels of guests and staff can help to enforce security across your event and mean your team are more easy to identify . Alternatively, if your company requires all lanyards to be of the same or have very similar colours, many custom lanyards give the option to add text which can be easily added to identify staff from visitors. 

Branding

Adding your company or event logo and name to your lanyards is a great way to enhance your brand’s visibility at your conference. Consider how to position your company branding for maximum visibility across your conference lanyards. 

Quality

The quality of your lanyards can leave a lasting impression for your attendees, especially if they take their lanyards with them at the end of your conference. Ensure that the quality of your chosen lanyards is durable enough to stay looking smart for the duration of your conference. Most custom lanyards have a selection of material options to choose from so you can find the ideal one for your event.  

Width

How you have decided to position your branding and any other text on your lanyards will dictate how wide you need your lanyard straps to be. Avoid lanyards with narrow straps if you have included text on the straps as this could make them difficult to read and look messy. Most lanyard providers will offer lanyards up to 25mm thick, giving plenty of space to include logos and larger lettering. 

Attachments

The primary function of lanyards is to hold cards and other attachments for clear visibility. Depending on the duration and type of conference you are hosting you may require your lanyard to accommodate different attachments. Most lanyards come with dog clips as standard which can hold multiple types of attachments. If you are looking for your lanyards to hold name badges or cards, consider badge reels for easy identification. Alternatively, if you are hosting a multi-day conference a stronger fastener or buckle can hold multi-page event passes.

Once you have created an idea of what you need from your conference lanyards, the design process can begin. Many online lanyard designers and suppliers offer online designer tools for you to easily create your designs and send them to be printed.

When designing your lanyard you will often be presented with a selection of clip choices. The type of attachments you are adding to your lanyard will dictate the type of clip needed. Additionally, this may also affect the width of your lanyard strap to accommodate for the weight of your attachments. The most common types of clips include; dog clips, trigger clips, carabiner clips, swivel clips, split rings or quick release clips. Most lanyards will also include a safety break clip which is attached to the fabric of the lanyard and is designed to release the strap from the wearer’s neck if pressure is applied. 

If you have chosen for your lanyards to indicate the wearer’s access level at your event, at this stage in the design process you can also choose the base colours for your lanyards. It is important to do this before adding customised logos or text as the base colour can influence the print colour of your custom options. 

The next part of the design process is to decide how to print your business logo, event name or chosen text onto your conference lanyards. Experiment with different logo and text layouts to find the best option for maximum visibility of your brand. During this stage, you will also need to decide how you would like your logo or custom text printed either using dye sublimation, screen printing or embroidery.

Dye sublimation is a great choice if you wish to cover most or all of the lanyards with your design as it offers a smooth and premium quality feel. Screen printing is better suited to simpler prints in a more refined range of colours, and is suitable for a wider range of base materials . While embroidery is ideal for detailed and elaborate designs, creating a slightly raised texture.

When ordering custom conference lanyards, it is important to order from a supplier you can trust in order to get the high quality and professional look that your brand needs. Identilam offers a range of custom lanyards ideal for conferences, business premises and other events. 

Add your branding, choose attachment options and finishes. They’re also ideal for pairing with our event badges!

Get in touch with us today to find out more about how to make custom lanyards for your conference or business event with Identilam.