ABOUT US
Where Century-Old Expertise Meets Modern Event Solutions
Welcome to Badge Wave, a dedicated event ticketing and badge printing service powered by Soabar Label Solutions. Born from over a century of printing excellence and refined through years of delivering for some of the world's biggest events, Badge Wave represents our commitment to making high-quality event credentials accessible, affordable, and effortless for every event organiser.
Built on a Foundation of Excellence
Soabar Ltd has been supplying labels and associated machinery at our Leicester site since the 1970s, but our story begins over 100 years ago. We began serving the apparel markets in the United States, before relocating to the UK, investing in versatile equipment and seeing our reputation grow on a global scale. Over the decades since, we've expanded our expertise across numerous industries, earning recognition as one of the leading label solution suppliers for a diverse range of sectors.
This heritage matters, because we know that printing excellence isn't built overnight. It's cultivated through generations of refinement, problem-solving, and an unwavering commitment to quality.
Creating Market Leadership
In 2022, as the world emerged from the pandemic and events began returning in full force, we noticed a critical gap in the market for high-quality exhibition badge printing with quick turnaround times. Event organisers were eager to welcome attendees back but struggled to find reliable partners who could deliver the quality and speed that modern events demand.
At Soabar, we saw an opportunity to apply our printing expertise to this underserved market. We began to print exhibition badges for global events that were both eye-catching and high quality, for an industry leader in the events world. We quickly became a trusted global partner of various companies who came to us through recommendations, building a reputation for reliability and excellence in event badge printing.
Scaling Up to Meet Growing Demand
The success of our event badge printing services in recent years is something we’re incredibly proud of, and we've responded by making significant investments in our in-house printing capabilities. We’ve added cutting-edge digital printing machines and advanced finishing equipment to scale up our operations and serve more events without compromising on quality or turnaround times.
At the heart of our production are two exceptional printing systems, each chosen specifically for their strengths in event badge printing:
THE BOBST MOUVENT LB702-UV
This is a powerhouse digital label press that brings industrial-scale capabilities to event printing. Its UV inkjet technology delivers vibrant, pin-sharp images with exceptional colour accuracy, ensuring your branding looks exactly as intended. The instant UV curing means badges come off the press completely dry and ready for immediate finishing crucial when you're working to tight event deadlines.
With impressive printing speeds and the ability to handle variable data seamlessly, the LB702-UV excels at producing large volumes of personalised badges without sacrificing quality or consistency.
THE KONICA MINOLTA ACCURIOLABEL 230
Complements our capabilities with its remarkable versatility and precision. This digital press combines exceptional image quality with the flexibility to handle shorter runs and last-minute orders with equal efficiency. Its advanced colour management ensures consistent, accurate reproduction of brand colours across every single badge, while its ability to print on a wide range of materials gives us the flexibility to create exactly the right solution for each event's unique needs. The AccurioLabel 230's reliability means we can confidently commit to tight turnarounds, knowing we'll deliver on time, every time.
Together, these systems allow us to serve events of any size—from intimate conferences to massive international exhibitions with the same commitment to quality and speed.
OUR VISION
Making Excellence Accessible
Making event badge ordering and personalisation easy, fast, and affordable.
Delivered by specialists who understand real-world event demands.
Local service for faster delivery, clearer communication, and dependable support.
Ready to respond quickly when last-minute changes arise because timing matters.
We're Here, Right Now, For Your Event.
We believe that we've created something special in Badge Wave. A dedicated platform where event organisers can come to receive high-quality badges that are printed and powered by great people who know their stuff.
BadgeWave isn't just a website or a service; it's the culmination of everything we've learned about printing excellence, customer service, and the specific demands of the events industry. It's a place built on expertise, powered by state-of-the-art technology, and driven by people who genuinely care about making your event successful.
When you order from Badge Wave, you're not just getting tickets and badges. You're partnering with a team that has spent decades perfecting the art of printing, that understands the pressure and pace of event planning, and that has the proven track record and infrastructure to deliver exceptional results, every single time.
What We Value: Sustainability & Our Social Impact
Working in tandem with Soabar Ltd, we are a company that care about our people and our planet. We're not afraid to put our values into action, and are continually dedicating time, energy and resources to making our sphere of influence in the world a better place.
At the heart of our operations is a commitment to environmental sustainability. We believe that choosing the eco-friendly path shouldn’t mean compromising on aesthetics or durability, which is why we offer a diverse range of responsibly sourced, recyclable materials that maintain the premium quality your brand demands.
In 2025 we achieved an EcoVadis Bronze Medal, and we are now actively enhancing our internal processes and supply chain transparency to reach a Silver status by 2027.
Our impact extends beyond the production line and into the local communities that we call home. Badge Wave seeks to be force for good outside of the events space, which is why we're proud to actively engage in grassroots initiatives like consistent support for regional food banks.
Planning Your Next Event?
If you need badges for an event, exhibition or corporate function, then look no further than the Badge Wave shop. There, you'll find pre-printed, full-colour badges that can be customised to showcase your event's branding, the desktop printers needed to over-print variable information (such as names and QR codes) on the day, and accessories such as lanyards and badge holders.
If you can't find exactly what you're looking for, or you're experiencing tight time deadlines that don't match with our print and shipping times, then please just drop us an email at hello@badgewave.co.uk. We'd be more than happy to help with any question or query that you have in relation to your event.
FAQS
Frequently Asked Questions
This will depend on what you want to print onto your badges on the day of your event. Our thermal tickets are designed to be printed on the Zebra range of printers, namely the ZD621 and GK420D. These printers will print your data and text in a single colour. Our Inkjet tickets are designed to be printed on the Epson C3500 and C4000 range of printers, which both allow for full-colour on the day printing.
Direct thermal technology uses a heat-sensitive coating to create clear, high-quality text or images from a single-colour printer, offering a simple and efficient printing solution without the need for ink or toner. Our Inkjet material is specially coated to allow a CMYK print process in full colour.
Typically, our on-site printers will accept any badge width up to a 4” wide. The most common size for an event badge is 4” x 12”, which folds to 4” x 6” double sided.
You can view our artwork requirements on the downloadable, editable templates on each product page.
Yes this is possible! We would just need a good understanding of your event, your branding guidelines, what is required to be printed on the badge and the logo(s) that you wish to feature. Email us at: BadgeWave@soabar.co.uk