Wristbands are the perfect solution for event access control, charity fundraising or corporate gifting. The wristbands are economical, user-friendly and come in a variety of forms. Event, sponsor or company information and messages can also be easily and cleverly displayed on each wristband using differing colours, fonts, patterns and styles to create a unique and trendy feature. But how do you choose the right one for your event? We take a look at a few of the more common uses and how to distinguish whether to use a Tyvek, vinyl or silicone wristband.
Event wristbands
- Conferences and trade fairs
Day-long conferences and trade fairs with various entrant categories call for the well-known Tyvek wristbands. These are an extremely cost-effective option for mass production and a variety of luminous hues makes for simple access control. Event organisers will usually order contrasting colours which can distinguish day visitors from media or other passes, helping avoid any access issues. Vinyl wristbands are also an option, particularly for conferences or trade fairs that last more than a day.
- Festivals and Concerts
Camping in muddy, rain-soaked venues with constant exposure to the outdoors for an extended period of time calls for a durable wristband. A comfortable wristband that can withstand all the elements of extreme partying. Vinyl wristbands, which are tamper-proof, tear-proof and water resistant, are a fantastic choice for events, lasting up to 10 days. They can be uniquely designed in an assortment of eye-catching colours with personalised styles and logos to create an attractive form of easy access control. Vinyl wristbands also come in the form of tradbands – with a contouring edge – glitterbands, or eezyrider wristbands which have removable tags.
Read more: Advantages of vinyl wristbands
Fabric wristbands, which are slightly superior in quality, are also extremely durable and aesthetically pleasing, making them a popular choice for festivals. Like the vinyl wristbands, the fabric is tamper-proof making them exceptionally good for access control. However, fabric wristbands are also fully recyclable making the wristbands perfect, particularly for environmentally-aligned organisations.
For shorter events such as an evening music concert, Tyvek wristbands are just perfect.
- Corporate gifts
The higher-end silicone wristbands, which can include your company’s colours, logo and contact details, are a great corporate gift. Wriststraps, which are silicone bands with a keyring attachment, also work extremely well as do impact bands, which are silicone bands with press studs for adjusting size. But if you’re really looking to make a mark, you can’t get better than the USB wristband. Incorporating the comfortable silicone band, this has a built-in USB which clasps into the silicone to close. It is extremely useful and likely to be worn on multiple occasions. The USB drive comes in anything from 1GB to 64GB sizes which obviously affects the cost.
- Product launches and campaigns
For marketers looking to get maximum exposure of a product, or politicians garnering election votes, a high-end silicone or promotional wristband is a great option. Made from pure silicone, the production process is more expensive than that of Tyvek, vinyl or fabric wristbands, but the end product is an extremely durable – and attractive – wristband that is often worn long after an event. The silicone wristband can also be removed and worn again at a later stage. Soft-textured, it is comfortable to wear, comes in a variety of colours and can have embossed or debossed printing done for an interesting effect. Also popular in this range is the slapperband wristband that has a unique slapping feature whereby it curls onto the wrist when hit against it. A very tactilely appealing wristband. And because they are all so lightweight and nearly impossible to damage, they can be thrown into crowds as fun giveaways.
- Sporting Events
When hundreds, or even thousands, of active people are out in the outdoors, some performing in endurance-related sporting events where friction, perspiration and extreme weather conditions are likely to be involved, then Tyvek wristbands are a great option. Obviously extremely durable and impossible to transfer, the competitor’s race number can be easily displayed and the thin paper-like material remains comfortable. Another popular option for sporting events is the sweatband which is made from a soft towelling that absorbs sweat. The event name or sponsor information can be woven or printed onto the wristband and this will then be reused long after the event.
- Water or theme parks
Where children, water and friction are involved, then vinyl wristbands are definitely the first-choice for access control. The eezyrider wristband (also known as the tab wristband), in particular, has three layers of vinyl for extra strength and the material is comfortable for wearing over a few days. The self-locking, tamper-evident clip means no transference and they come with clever tabs which is perfect for allocating a certain number of rides. They can also be used for any function, were a number of meals, drinks or gifts has to be allocated. Eezyrider wristbands make auditing at the end of the day that much simpler.
- Charity
When it comes to charitable fundraising, the silicone wristbands have a dual benefit of getting a cause’s message out into the public sphere while also raising funds through the sale of the wristbands. Silicone wristbands have proved hugely popular in raising awareness for various causes, garnering interest because of their appealing look and feel and often becoming fashionable accessories. These silicone wristbands can be re-worn and easily cleaned, they’re a relaxed addition to any wrist while the kaleidoscopic colours and hypnotic fonts make for maximum charity exposure.
Read more: Access control trends 2019
It’s important to partner with an experienced wristband supplier such as IDCBand SA. For fast, reliable and quality event wristbands in South Africa, silicone, access control and more contact IDCBand SA today. IDCBand SA is South Africa’s leading event wristband supplier based in Johannesburg and supplies wristbands and other security and promotional items for just about every event and function all over South Africa.
