Your Event Medal Is the Best Marketing Tool

You spend weeks on the perfect event poster. You talk to sponsors about where their logo goes. You put money into social media adverts. But the one thing from your event that people actually photograph, share online, put on their shelves, and talk about for years is often the thing you order last and think about least: the medal.

What if a well-designed custom medal did more for your event than your entire print campaign? What if it brought you free social media coverage, made people come back next year, and created a feeling that no banner or leaflet could ever match?

We've made hundreds of thousands of medals for events across Europe. And we've seen it happen time and again: events that put real thought into their medal don't just get happy finishers. They get people who spread the word for them.

Let us show you how – and why.

Every medal is a free advert

Think about what happens the moment someone gets their medal. They hold it up. They smile. Someone takes a photo. Within minutes, that picture is on Instagram, Facebook, or LinkedIn – with your event's name and location tagged.

Now multiply that by every finisher. A race with 500 people easily gets 500 or more posts on social media in a single weekend – without spending a penny on advertising.

But here's the catch: this only works if the medal is worth photographing. A plain round disc with a standard running figure? Nobody stops scrolling for that. But a medal shaped like the city skyline where the race took place, with bold colours and a branded ribbon? That's the kind of thing people want to show off.

Custom Shape

UV Print

After we switched to custom-shaped medals, the number of posts with our event hashtag tripled. Runners were genuinely proud to show them off.— Race director, cycling gran fondo, Germany

Marketing that lasts for years

Your event poster ends up in the bin after race day. Your Facebook advert disappears from the feed within hours. But a medal? A medal sits on a shelf, in a display case, or on a wall – for years. Sometimes decades.

Every time someone walks into that room, they see your event's name. Every time a visitor asks "What's that medal?", the owner tells them the story of your event. Without even meaning to, they become an ambassador for your brand.

No other piece of event merchandise does this. A t-shirt ends up at the bottom of a drawer. A water bottle breaks or gets lost. A tote bag? Nobody remembers which event it came from. The medal is the only item people display with pride – and it carries your event's name with it everywhere it goes.

Years of visibility

How the medal compares to other event items

Medals that bring people back

As an event organiser, you already know that the cheapest participant to attract is one who's been before. Returning runners, cyclists, and athletes don't need convincing – they just need a good reason to come back.

One of the best ways to do this is to create a collectible medal series. Many events now design medals that connect across editions – different pieces that fit together like a puzzle, or an evolving theme that tells a story year after year. Once people start collecting, they keep coming back.

Year One

Year Two

Year Three

We recently made a set of magnetic medals that connect into one complete design. Each piece works as a standalone award, but put them all together and they form a single medal. It went down brilliantly on social media.

Medals that help sell partnerships

Here's something most organisers don't think about: a custom medal can actually help you win and keep sponsors.

Look at it from a sponsor's point of view. They want their brand to be seen – not on a banner that people walk past without noticing, but on something people treasure. A medal with the sponsor's logo on the back, their colours in the ribbon, or a co-branded design element gives them something rare: a physical piece of branding that lives in someone's home for years.

Why physical awards beat digital ones

We live in a digital world, but that's exactly why physical awards carry so much weight. A notification on your phone is forgotten in seconds. A PDF certificate gets buried in your downloads folder. But holding a medal – feeling how heavy it is, reading the engraving, clipping it to its ribbon – that's a completely different experience.

There's real science behind this. Physical objects trigger a stronger sense of ownership, achievement, and pride than digital ones. It's why more and more companies are going back to physical trophies for staff awards – the emotional impact simply can't be matched by a badge on a screen.

Weight & Texture

Emotional Impact

For you as an organiser, this means your medal isn't just a nice extra. It's the emotional high point of the whole experience. Get it right, and you've created a lasting memory. Get it wrong – or go cheap – and you've let down the moment that matters most.

What does a custom medal actually cost?

Let's talk about the thing everyone wants to know. Yes, custom medals cost more than standard catalogue medals. But the difference is often smaller than people expect – and the value you get back is far greater.

Say you're organising a race with 300 finishers. The difference between a stock medal and a fully custom cast medal might be around €3–4 per piece – so roughly €900–1,200 in total. For that money, you get hundreds of social media posts, years of shelf visibility, a higher-quality feel for your whole event, an easier time attracting sponsors, and more people coming back next year.

Now compare that to a social media ad campaign for €1,200 that gets you a few hundred clicks and is gone within a week.

How to make your medal work harder for you.

Ready to get more out of your medal? Here's a simple plan:

1. 01Start with your story. What makes your event special? The location? The history? The people? The best medal designs come from the event's own identity – not from a template.
2. 02Go beyond the circle. Try custom shapes, openwork, 3D details, or a mix of materials. The more distinctive the medal, the more people will share it.
3. 03Don't forget the ribbon. A personalised ribbon with your event name, colours, and date turns the medal from an award into a complete brand piece.
4. 04Design for the camera. If you know people will take photos, make sure the medal looks great on screen. High contrast, clear text, and a design that works from arm's length.
5. 05Think in series. If your event happens every year, start building a collectible set. It's one of the easiest ways to bring people back.
6. 06Use the medal to attract sponsors. Show them the numbers: social media reach, shelf life, emotional connection. Medal sponsorship is something they won't find anywhere else.
7. 07Order early. Great medals take time. For spring and summer events, start the design process at least 2–3 months ahead. Our designers put together a free mockup within 72 hours.