First the basics: what does each option involve?
With a rental you use our wristbands for the duration of your event. The DMX controller is included as standard, and afterwards we take everything back. Rechargeable wristbands are recharged, cleaned and used again at a next event. With a purchase the wristbands are produced to order for you, if you wish with your own logo and colours, and they remain yours after the event. You then manage charging, storage and handing them out again.
Question 1: one-off or recurring?
This is the most important question. If you organise a single event, or an event that returns once a year with a different concept, renting is almost always the logical choice. You pay for the use, need no storage and have nothing to maintain.
If the event returns frequently in the same place, think of a home team that wants the stands to light up at every match, a venue with a fixed show programme or a company with several staff events a year, the balance shifts towards buying. Every extra use makes the purchase relatively cheaper, and you can deploy the wristbands faster each time because the setup is already familiar. For sports events with a home base this is often the deciding factor; see our page on sports events.
Question 2: how much does branding matter?
Personalisation with logo and brand colours is available on our wristbands, with the exception of the Elastic Rechargeable. With a purchase that is obvious: the wristbands are yours and carry your identity. With a rental personalisation is also possible, but then it is a production for your event. If you mainly want a shared light moment and the strap itself matters less, a rental without personalisation is enough. If you want every guest to go home with your brand on their wrist, the wristband becomes a marketing tool and buying or personalised rental makes more sense.
Question 3: how much logistics do you want to carry?
Renting takes the work off your hands: we deliver, collect and process the return. You only look after handing out and collecting at the exit. Buying means you take care of storage, charging between uses and checking the wristbands. For an organisation with its own technical team and a fixed venue that is perfectly manageable. For an event agency working in a different venue every month it weighs more heavily.
Question 4: how much weight does sustainability carry?
Rechargeable wristbands are at the heart of our approach: no disposable battery, but a wristband that is recharged and reused. That holds for rentals (the wristbands move on to the next event with us) and for purchases (you reuse them yourself). Our sustainability page explains how that process works and what it delivers. If you choose the single-use wristband, for instance because return logistics are not feasible at your event, the question is simple: single-use is by definition a purchase.
Renting and buying side by side
| Rent | Buy | |
|---|---|---|
| One-off or recurring | Ideal for one-off events or events that change every time | Pays off with recurring use in the same place |
| Branding | Standard wristband, personalisation possible for your event | Fully your own wristband with logo and colours (not on Elastic Rechargeable) |
| Logistics | We deliver, collect and process the return, DMX controller included | You manage storage, charging and redeployment |
| Sustainability | Rechargeable wristbands move on to the next event | Rechargeable wristbands are reused by you, time after time |
| Control | DMX controller included, operator optional | Runs on your own lighting desk over DMX512, operator optional |
Examples from real projects
For Samsung Galaxy Unpacked we let guests in Brussels, Amsterdam and Luxembourg take part in an interactive quiz with colour-coded wristbands. A product launch in several cities, each with a different audience: a typical rental scenario, with the wristbands coming back after every launch.
At a light festival with 51,000 visitors, guests wore rechargeable wristbands that took on a different colour per zone. The wristbands also used NFC for counting people in and out, registration and payments. An event of that size shows the strength of rechargeable wristbands: the battery lasts, and after the festival they come back for the next project.
For Naos International a time-coded show ran in 40 countries. When a concept is repeated that often, the question shifts from 'rent or buy' to 'how do we make sure the show runs identically everywhere', and that is where open DMX512 control comes in. Browse all our projects for more examples.
A short decision framework
- One event, or a different concept every year: rent.
- Same venue, several times a year, own technical team: consider buying.
- The strap has to carry your brand and go home with the guest: buy, or personalised rental.
- No appetite for storage or maintenance: rent.
- Not sure yet: request a quote for both options and compare on your own numbers.
