A Tidbit About Lanyards

When we think of the lanyard we most likely think of a simple cord or strap worn around the neck or shoulder with keys or some sort of ID attached. Not that exciting right? In fact, many of us have a huge collection growing from picking these things up at trade shows, events, concerts, conferences, etc.


So let’s talk a little about these things. We all know that the lanyard is one of the most cost-effective promotional tools but where did they come from? How can they be used? and what’s their value?


Way back in the 1440s, the French coined the term lanyard and they played a huge role in military battle being used to keep items like swords, whistles, and guns in place. These handy accessories are now a common part of military uniforms including the German Armed Forces, Britain’s Royal Artillery and the Military Order of William Netherlands. Cool! That’s a fact you now know.

Now that we know where they came from and how they were formally used. How do people use them today? Well, the possibilities are really endless but let’s just look at a few here.

1. Key Chains- Many people use them to hold their keys. 
2. ID holder- Many conferences and trade shows use them to keep registration ID from getting lost.
3. BackStage ID- Many festivals and events use them to hold credential passes so that they can easily identify attendees and monitor access control. 
4. Staff ID- More and more schools are using them to hold their staff identification credentials.
5. Promotional Item- Because of the cost-effective nature of these versatile items many companies use them as promotional items or giveaways.

People have done some pretty fun things with lanyards, for example check out the longest lanyard chain made with 43 lanyards from Campers at iD Tech or the most lanyards attached to a key ring a record set by Patrick Hopson from Garfield Heights, Ohio who successfully attached 62 lanyards to a single key ring on November 16, 2016. For the fidgeter in all of us check out Suresh Gaur who had the most rotations of a USB flash drive on a lanyard around his finger he was able to rotate the lanyard for 60 rotations in 15 seconds!! One of my favorite records was set by Guillermo (Jimmy Kimmel Show) who wore 300 lanyards at one time now that's a lot of lanyards! and finally, we have Christian Gfrerer from Austria who has a whopping collection of lanyards. As of November 2014, his count was 3,260! It just goes to show you that there is creativity everywhere and we love how people embrace it.


Finally, let’s talk a little about the value that a lanyard can bring you.


  1. They are extremely versatile, as we’ve already seen people use them for a ton of different things but when it comes to branding you have the ability to really let your creativity shine. Choose from a variety of colors or design your own using your own unique imprint.

  2. Increase security by pairing your custom lanyard with one of our credential passes. Perfect for events, festivals, conferences, raceways and more! Here at MedTech Wristbands, we offer more than just wristbands for event security, we manufacture a wide variety of event solutions.

  3. Increased Brand Awareness. We already mentioned that lanyards are one of the most cost-effective promotional products available so what better way to showcase your brand than by choosing an item that people actually use and more importantly like wearing. Talk about affordable branding/marketing.

So there you have it. The facts on lanyards, some useful, some fun. I think the biggest take away from this blog is that you get to see that people actually enjoy using these fun and innovative promotional materials. Are you missing out on this amazing marketing opportunity?

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