Chicago Award Source
Since 1981
Live engraving at marathons, brand activations, holiday gifting events. Your guest watches their name go on the piece.
A different order than a single engraved gift — recurring, high-volume, brand-critical. Three kinds of clients bring us in.
Marathons, half marathons, 5Ks, run-club series. Finisher names and chip times engraved onto medals and bottles as runners cross — no missed runner, no line that stalls.
Product launches, in-store activations, festival booths, experiential marketing. A live engraving station turns a swag handout into a keepsake with their name on it.
Sales kickoffs, galas, holiday VIP programs, client appreciation. Personalize on-site so every guest leaves with their piece — no "ships in 4–6 weeks."
Some moments don't ship — they happen. Marathon finish lines, brand activations, holiday VIP gifting events, sales kickoffs. We bring the laser, the operator, and the personalized piece — engraved while your guest watches.
It's the difference between a swag bag they'll lose and a piece with their name on it. We've done it for the Chicago Marathon, Lululemon, Don Julio, Dom Pérignon, and Louis Vuitton holiday programs. Same setup, different name on the piece.
You handle the event. We handle showing up at 7am, setting up the bench, running the queue, and packing out at the end of the night. One designer, one machine, one keepsake per guest.
Lululemon's "Miles of Summer" run program. Every finisher walked away with their name engraved on a bottle — done in the store, on the spot, while they waited.
No shipping. No "your gift will arrive in 4–6 weeks." Just the keepsake, with their name on it, before they left.
HOKA hosted six-star runners at Frame Chicago during marathon weekend — Abbott World Marathon Majors finishers brought all six medals in to be engraved. Names, dates, race times, six city marks per medal.
At the Chicago Distance Series, Lululemon ran a finisher lounge — and we engraved runners' names and finish times onto their half-marathon medals on the spot. They wrote their name on a card, we ran it at the bench, and they walked out wearing a medal that was theirs alone — engraved at the finish, not shipped weeks later.
Five steps. Most events lock 4–6 weeks out; rush bookings 2 weeks if our calendar's open.
Date, location, expected guest count, item to engrave (we can supply or you can), what they should walk away with.
Engraving design (logo, name field, date), finish, queue logistics, signage. We design and approve a digital proof.
We coordinate with your venue / production team — power, footprint, load-in window, exit. Standard 110V outlet, 10×6 ft footprint, two folding tables.
Our designer arrives 60 min before doors. One operator runs the queue, second handles the take-home packaging. Average ~60 seconds per piece.
We pack out within 60 min of doors closing. Any unused inventory invoices back at cost. Photos of finished pieces sent post-event for your recap.
Reference for event producers and brand teams. Pricing is event-dependent — request a quote via the form below.
An events lead responds within one business day with availability and a per-event quote.