Hospital Broadcasting Association: Coordinated Centenary Branding
Hotline supplied RPET lanyards, cotton tote bags, button badges, mint cards and engraved metal pens for the Hospital...
Hotline supplied RPET lanyards, cotton tote bags, button badges, mint cards and engraved metal pens for the Hospital Broadcasting Association centenary.
Hotline Promotional Products supplied five branded products for the Hospital Broadcasting Association's event marking 100 years of hospital radio in the UK: RPET lanyards, cotton tote bags, button badges, sugar free mint cards and engraved recycled metal pens. All five carried the same branding, and the event included an awards ceremony and a gala dinner.
| Name | Description |
|---|---|
| Client | Hospital Broadcasting Association, the national body for UK hospital radio |
| Sector | Broadcasting, volunteering and healthcare community |
| Product | Express Full Colour RPET Lanyard 20mm; Express Cotton Tote Bag, two-sided print; Button Badges 25mm; Promotional Sugar Free Mint Cards; Vantage Recycled Engraved Metal Pen |
| How it was funded | Hotline sponsorship |
| Event | Centenary event marking 100 years of hospital radio in the UK, including an awards ceremony and gala dinner |
| Result | Described by the association as creating a cohesive and professional feel across the event, with the metal pens singled out as the item people actually used |
Who the Hospital Broadcasting Association are
The Hospital Broadcasting Association is the national body for hospital radio in the UK, supporting the volunteer stations that broadcast to patients in hospitals across the country. 2026 marked a hundred years of hospital radio.
Lee Thomas at the association described what the volunteers are actually doing:
Seeing the difference it makes to patients, reducing isolation, lifting spirits, and creating a sense of connection, is incredibly powerful.
The centenary event brought stations and volunteers together from across the country, with an awards ceremony and a gala dinner.
It was genuinely special. Bringing together so many people from across the country to celebrate a century of hospital broadcasting created a fantastic atmosphere.
Why five products instead of one
Most event merchandise decisions are framed as choosing a giveaway. For a full-day event with an awards ceremony and a dinner, that framing is the mistake, because different moments in the day need different things.
Here is what each of the five was doing:
- Lanyards carry the name badge and are worn all day by everyone in the building. They are the highest-visibility item at any event and the one people never notice they are looking at.
- Tote bags hold everything an attendee is given and get it home. Two-sided printing means the branding is visible whichever way the bag hangs.
- Button badges mark people out. At an event bringing together volunteers who have never met, a badge is how you tell who is who.
- Mint cards are the small courtesy nobody plans for and everybody appreciates, particularly before an awards ceremony where people are about to go on stage.
- Engraved metal pens are the keepsake. Heavier than a printed plastic pen, and the item most likely to still be on a desk in a year.
The metal pens were particularly well received, they were practical, good quality, and used throughout the event.
If you are buying for a milestone rather than a routine event, that pen is where the budget difference should go. Four of these items are consumed by the day. One of them leaves with people.
What coordinated branding actually means
The association was specific about why the set mattered more than the items:
The items helped create a cohesive and professional feel across the event. When you have consistent branding across items like lanyards, bags, badges, pens and mint packs, it elevates the overall experience.
There is a practical version of this that is worth stating, because consistent branding is easy to agree with and harder to execute. Three things make a set look like a set:
One artwork treatment, adjusted per item, not resized per item
A logo that works on a two-sided tote bag will not survive being shrunk onto a 25mm badge or engraved on a pen barrel. Each item needs its own version of the same identity, which usually means a simplified single-colour mark for the small items and the full logo on the large ones.
One colour reference across everything
Print, engraving and full-colour lanyard weave all reproduce colour differently. Give the supplier one Pantone reference rather than a logo file per item and let them match to it.
Decide the set before you order any of it
Ordering a bag in March and a badge in June means two artwork rounds and two chances to drift. Order together and prove together.
Branding is extremely important. It's often the first thing people notice, and it sets the tone for the entire event.
You can see all of it before committing. A free Visual Proof shows each item with your branding applied at the size and position it will actually print, back within 20 minutes during working hours, with no obligation to order. On a multi-item set that matters more than usual, because it is the only way to see the items side by side before they exist.
Choosing a supplier for a milestone event
The association was clear about what they were looking for:
We were looking for a partner who understood the importance of quality, branding, and reliability, especially for such a significant milestone event.
That is a reasonable specification and it is worth unpacking, because a centenary has no second attempt. Quality means the pen feels like the occasion. Branding means somebody checks the logo works at 25mm before it is printed at 25mm. Reliability means the date is committed to rather than estimated.
hotline™ were great to work with, responsive, flexible, and genuinely supportive of what we were trying to achieve.
Our guide to how to choose promotional products for an event covers matching products to the format of the day, and how to brief a promotional products supplier covers what to send and when. You can read more about how a Visual Proof works before committing to anything.
Every product page shows its own price at the quantity you enter, its minimum order and its guaranteed delivery date, before you speak to anyone.
To see what is available, browse our conference and delegate merchandise, our branded sweets, food and drink or our express range.
Lee's closing advice was about hospital radio rather than merchandise, and it is worth repeating:
Go for it. It's an incredibly rewarding experience. You don't need prior broadcasting experience, just enthusiasm and a willingness to make a difference.