If you’re wondering what a lanyard is, and what it’s used for, you’ve come to the right place. We receive plenty of queries about lanyards, and we’re more than happy to help people learn about the useful things they can do. In this section of our buyer’s guide, we’re going to answer your questions on this essential accessory.
The chances are, you’ve encountered a lanyard at some point in your life. You just didn’t know that it was called a lanyard. Put simply, a lanyard is a piece of looped fabric that can be worn around the neck. Attached to the end of the lanyard is a clip that holds items like keys, security passes, name badges and ID cards. This simple, ingenious device helps you carry these specific items with you wherever you go, throughout your working day. So, what is a lanyard? Well, now you know!
We’re glad you asked. The word “lanyard is believed to come from the French word “lanière” which means “strap”. Lanyards have a fascinating history. Centuries ago, they were used by pirates and sailors as way to carry out rigging for ships. These early lanyards were simple piece of rope with loops and knots. Later on, they were produced for military operations; we know that they were used by soldiers during WWI as a means of holding pistols. Today, our concept of what a lanyard is, and what it does, has changed considerably. Though they spring from humble beginnings, lanyards have now become an international tool used by businesses and events all over the world.
You can see these handy little devices everywhere from schools to shops, offices, conferences and festivals. Among many other tasks, they prevent employees from losing keys and badges, identify security guards and staff members, and make visitors feel welcome. Above all, they carry essential items that people need to carry out their jobs – ID passes and keys are just two examples. Though, the possibilities are endless when it comes to what a lanyard is capable of.
Lanyards come in a range of different forms, which you’ll see mentioned throughout our buyer’s guide. For example, you can get what we call custom lanyards, which are lanyards that we make to order with your own company logo printed on them. You can also get pre-printed lanyards. These aren’t branded, but are instead printed with useful wording such as “staff”, “security” and “visitor”. Finally, there are plain lanyards which are simply blank, without any printed message.
What other types of lanyard are available? So, you know what a lanyard is, but did you also know that lanyards come in various finishes and materials? You might be looking for something that looks almost photographic in terms of its print quality. In that case, you’ll probably need a dye sublimation lanyard. Or, you may want a very wide lanyard so that you can include a larger, bolder logo design. If that’s the case, a flat polyester lanyard might be the best option for you. There are several options to choose from, depending on your needs. Don’t worry this is much easier than it sounds – we’ll help with this decision (and other important aspects) when you place an order.
Where can you buy lanyards? These invaluable accessories can be tricky to find in high street shops and department stores, perhaps because there are so many different names for them. In this section, we’ll briefly go through some of the places where you can find lanyards, so that you can make an informed decision.
Making the decision to buy lanyards is something you want to do carefully and mindfully. With so many options out there, it’s all too easy to make the wrong choice and to be stuck with lanyards that are not durable enough, or that don’t display your logo properly. So, get the right advice from a retailer you trust. When choosing where to buy lanyards, you should ideally choose a supplier that specialises in lanyards, rather than somewhere that simply sells them as a side-line.
If you’ve been looking everywhere for lanyards and you can’t find them, perhaps you need to call them something different. Not everyone calls a lanyard by its rightful name. Here are some other words that we often come across for lanyards:
Another reason that people don’t know where to buy lanyards is that lanyard suppliers are not commonly found on high streets and in shopping centers. Usually, you’ll have more luck finding them online.
When it comes to buying your lanyards online, you’ll find lot more choice than the average high street offers. Generally speaking, buying lanyards online is easier, quicker and better all around, especially if you’re busy running a business. Specialist lanyard suppliers know their product inside out, and can offer a range of different styles and materials. Look for somewhere like Lanyards Direct, a company that has been supplying lanyards for over 25 years and uses the latest cutting edge technology to print and manufacture them.
If you’re a fan of buying things in person, rather than online, there are a few different places you can try to buy lanyards. For example, large supermarkets like Tesco sometimes stock lanyards for mobile phones. If you’re looking for lanyards for USB sticks, you could try one of the larger computer retailers. Office supply shops are another place where you might be lucky enough to find lanyards on sale. However, be warned that in many of these high-street shops, you’ll find lanyards that are either not available in bulk, or they may be overpriced. We recommend using an online supplier where possible.
Even the most well organised event can benefit from using festival lanyards. But how? In this section, we’ll describe some ways lanyards can make your festival even more of a success.
Most large festivals nowadays use lanyards. These simple tools are a brilliant way to hold the festival passes that people need to present at security gates. Some festivals might be several days long, and as a result they might need a different pass for each day. Lanyards can carry all passes on a simple device that hangs around the neck and stays there, throughout the entire festival period. Unlike paper tickets, these passes don’t fall apart and they can also be kept as souvenirs or mementos.
Music festivals are a great example of the type of event that relies heavily on lanyards for things to run smoothly. Often people camping at these festivals need to present passes for their campsite, and show passes for entry back into the festival each time they re-enter the event. Lanyards are also increasingly being used to carry event guides that detail the line-up of music acts and the schedule for the event, along with other useful information. This comes in the form of laminated cards which hang on a clip from the lanyard and can be easily browsed through.
Lanyards aren’t only for festival-goers. Staff at festivals can also benefit from these handy devices. For example, lanyards can be used for security staff, cleaning staff and hospitality staff. Providing lanyards to these staff members with name badges or security passes can help to manage who enters and exits a festival, preventing non-paying attendees from entering on false pretenses. Companies like Lanyards Direct can provide you with a pre-printed lanyard that holds a name card or ID pass, and is also printed with useful wording such as “security” or “cleaner”.
If you organise conferences, lanyards can be a huge help. Read on to find out the many ways lanyards can facilitate the smooth running of your next conference.
Attach your conference badges to a branded lanyard and your conference will immediately benefit from a more professional look and feel. On a practical level, every conference needs badges, badge holders and lanyards for its attendees. The thriving conference industry is one that relies heavily on these simple, effective tools in order to succeed.
A major reason that most conferences around the world today choose to use lanyards is simplicity. Lanyards do away with the need for cumbersome pin badges or stickers, which can often come apart or fall off. In contrast, lanyards stay safely and securely around the neck, and because they’re durable and long-lasting, they can also be taken home as souvenirs. There’s another huge advantage too: lanyards can be printed with your conference logo and your contact details, which can help to keep you and your brand at the front of attendee’s minds for weeks or months to come.
If you’re wondering what exactly these name badges and lanyards are used for, the answer is simple. Name badges help to identify your conference attendees, delegates, speakers and staff members. This is a great way to encourage networking and help people to find each other in a crowd. It’s also an invaluable tool when it comes to managing admissions to your conference. Most conferences will give you a name badge or a conference lanyard when you arrive, and for security reasons you will need to show this to staff when entering or exiting the conference.
If you want to use name badges for your conference, the process is very simple. You’ll need to get your name cards printed out, and you’ll need to decide if you want to laminate your name cards or put them into special name card holders. Next, those name cards need to be attached to a lanyard using a clip. Whether you want to print those lanyards with your logo or another message is up to you. And there you have it! A key part of your conference has been organised. Companies like Lanyards Direct can sort these aspects for you in one go, quickly and without fuss.
Are you someone who organises or manages events? Then you’ll probably need lanyards to help things run smoothly. In this section, we’ll go through some of the ways lanyards can be used for events like conferences, talks, festivals and more.
Lanyards are one of the most popular tools that event organisers use. Why? Because events are usually places where you’ll find many people from different organisations, as well as staff members who have specific duties. To efficiently manage busy events like conferences, expositions, talks and festivals, these people need to identify each other quickly and easily.
Having a name card prepared and presented with a professional looking lanyard is a great way to identify participants, speakers or visitors to your event. Name cards help with networking, customer service and even managing things like admissions and VIP areas. And guess what? Lanyards are the perfect way to hold these name cards on you always. Simply wear your lanyard around your neck with the name card attached. Easy!
Picture the scene: you’re putting on an event and some of your dream clients will be attending. How do you make sure that your event, and your services, stay at the front of their minds afterwards? Simple – provide your attendees with a lanyard that has your company’s name and contact details printed clearly on it. They can keep this lanyard as a souvenir, something to remind them of your event and the services you offer.
If you need ID badges and security passes to help with security for an event, a lanyard is one the best solutions there is. Lanyards can hold security passes on a member of staff and make sure that they stay on a person always, rather than falling into the wrong hands if lost or left unattended.
Lanyards for offices can perform a variety of different tasks that will help office operations to run smoothly. In this section, we’ll go through some of the ways that lanyards can be used in the office.
Is your office somewhere that receives visitors on a regular basis? If so, using a special “visitors” lanyard is an excellent way to welcome visitors and identify them to members of staff. When there is a visitor in the office, having them identify themselves with a lanyard can be extremely useful. It means that your staff will always know if there is a visitor present. It’s also a great idea to give visitors their own visitor’s pass if they need permission to enter the building or to pass through a reception area.
If your office is one of the many work places with security locked doors that require electronic passes, then a lanyard is going to be a huge benefit to your staff. Who hasn’t lost a security pass at some stage and had to go through the awkwardness or the expense of getting it replaced? A lanyard keeps your security pass safely on your person always, preventing it from getting lost or stolen.
Do you manage an office premises? If your job involves carrying large bunches of keys to office doors, safes, or locked cabinets, you will find a lanyard very useful. Lanyards can safely and securely hold sets of keys and make sure that you have them with you at the right times. Rummaging for keys in your pocket or your desk drawer will be a thing of the past!
Did you know that lanyards can be used to carry USB sticks? Having a supply of lanyards that are attached to a USB stick can be a great way to share and store important documents. You’ll also find that suppliers like Lanyards Direct can provide USB sticks that are printed with your logo. Why not give them away to clients as a freebie? This helps to boost your branding and enhances the professionalism of your company.
Have you thought about getting lanyards for your school? If you’re wondering how lanyards can be used for at your school, or who might benefit from them, then you’ve come to the right place. In this section of our buyer’s guide, we’ll go through some of the ways you can use school lanyards.
We’re glad you asked. At Lanyards Direct, our lanyards can be ordered with optional safety breaks which snap easily apart when under pressure. This makes them safe for places like schools where staff and students need to adhere to specific health and safety regulations. Please ask about this when placing your order and we’ll be more than happy to help.
There are several different ways to make use of these handy tools when it comes to schools and educational organisations like colleges. Since lanyards can be fully customised with your chosen message, the possibilities are endless. We’ll go through some examples below.
Lanyards can be printed with generic words such as “teacher”, “supervisor”, or even “trainee teacher”. Having these bold messages on a lanyard can help people around your school to identify themselves easily when passing through busy corridors or supervising playgrounds.
Does your school receive a lot of visitors? For security reasons, it’s a good idea to have ID badges or name cards for your visitors, so that everyone knows who they are and why they’re in the classroom. Having a supply of lanyards ready to meet these needs is a great idea. All you need to do is provide visitors with a special lanyard and name card on their arrival. You can buy lanyards that come pre-printed with the word “visitor” on them too.
If you’re a teacher who needs to carry keys to store cupboards, music rooms, or places where valuables are kept, you might worry that the keys will get lost or fall into the wrong hands. Don’t worry, lanyards can help. Having your keys attached to a lanyard which can be worn around the neck is a great way to keep them safely on you always.
You might also want to provide lanyards to your students for carrying their locker keys. Having students attach their keys means they’re less likely to lose keys and ask for replacements, which can often be costly.
Here’s an idea for your next school trip. Why not use lanyards to help identify your students, and prevent them from getting lost in a crowd? Lanyards can be attached to name cards with contact information that your students can show to a responsible adult if they find themselves lost. Lanyards can also be printed with bold messages such as “student” or they can be printed with your school logo and contact details.
If you’re looking to increase security for your business, you might be thinking about using lanyards. In this section, we’ll go through some of the ways that security lanyards can help you, whether it’s for businesses, large organisations or events.
One of the best ways to make sure people wear their security badges and ID cards always is to provide them with a lanyard. A special security lanyard will hold the pass in a fuss free manner, and it can be worn around the neck for convenience.
Wearing your security badge on a lanyard means you’ll never have to replace lost badges or resort to borrowing someone else’s when yours is misplaced. It means less money wasted on producing replacement badges and cards, and it also means staff are more likely to have their passes on them always. So, everyone wins!
Here on the Lanyards Direct website, you’ll also notice that we do pre-printed lanyards. One of our most popular pre-printed lanyards comes with the word “security” printed on it. You can use these lanyards for all your security staff, and it can be used to hold ID cards and produce them on demand.
With security lanyards, people will easily be able to spot members of security in a crowd, making them ideal for managing security at events, festivals and conferences. Having a visible, easily identifiable security presence is key to the smooth running of any event where there are high profile attendees, or simply large crowds that need to be managed for safety and security.
Please don't hesitate to get in touch if you would like us to guide you through the options available.
