A few days ago I was watching a TV show where the invited guest turned out to be a collector of concert staff passes — several thousand of them. He hauled two big boxes onto the set, and no two passes were made the same way. That was the spark for this piece: a quick tour of the main types of concert and event staff passes (and entry passes) you can order.
A staff or entry pass has two jobs: identifying your crew and guests on the day, and leaving them a small keepsake afterwards. Printing Banana has produced plenty of them over the years, and once you round them up they sort neatly into the four types below. Here is how each one stacks up, with our pick at the end.
Plastic pouch with a glossy paper insert
This is the greenest option of the lot, and the one you see most often. A printed sheet or card slips into a clear plastic pouch, which then hangs from a lanyard. If your company runs events regularly, the pouch and lanyard can be reused — just watch how many times, because plastic that has been kept too long or used too often starts to look tired, which makes it a poor fit for more upmarket occasions. On the plus side, the pouch is waterproof, so it works almost anywhere.
Looks: ♦ ♦ ♦
Rigidity: ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦
Price: from HKD 10 (12×8 cm, lanyard included)
Lead time: about 3–4 days
(out of 5)
Matte-laminated card
A matte-laminated card is fast, sharp and cheap. Printing takes just two or three days, there is very little hand-finishing, and all you do is clip on a lanyard. Its cost per single use is the lowest of the four. The catch: because it is paper at heart, even a matte lamination leaves it only mildly water-resistant.
Looks: ♦ ♦ ♦
Rigidity: ♦ ♦
Price: from HKD 10 (12×8 cm, lanyard included)
Lead time: about 3–4 days
(out of 5)
Laminated glossy paper with a grommet
This is the more old-fashioned style, and fewer people use it now. You print onto ordinary glossy art paper or bond paper, then laminate it, punch a hole and fit a small metal grommet. It is waterproof and cheap to make, but it is not much to look at — the whole thing feels soft and flimsy rather than solid in the hand. Still, for large runs where nobody is expecting much, it does the job well enough.
Looks: ♦
Rigidity: ♦
Price: from HKD 9 (12×8 cm, lanyard included)
Lead time: about 3–4 days
(out of 5)
PVC card
At the top end — press conferences, professional trade shows — the passes above simply do not carry enough presence. This is where the PVC card comes into its own. It is properly rigid, prints beautifully, and shrugs off water and dirt, so it keeps well. It is also the most versatile to design: you can go transparent, semi-transparent, frosted, brushed-metal or laser-etched. Weighed against the other three, the PVC card offers the best value of the lot.
Looks: ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦
Rigidity: ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦
Price: from HKD 14 (12×8 cm, lanyard included)
Lead time: about one week
(out of 5)
The verdict
Weighing all four up, I would wholeheartedly point you towards a PVC card for your staff or entry passes. The price gap over the others is small, but it shows performers, guests and crew a little more respect — and a detail this small is exactly where a company’s culture and eye for detail come through. To talk through PVC pass finishes and pricing, order event entry passes or message our team on WhatsApp at +852 3001 5678 (English is fine). We deliver across Hong Kong and Macau.