Lanyrd

{{notability|date=May 2025}}

{{short description|Conference directory website}}

{{Infobox website

| name = Lanyrd

| logo = Lanyrd logo.png

| url = {{URL|lanyrd.com}}

| commercial = Yes

| type = Events, social networking

| author = Simon Willison, Natalie Downe

| launch_date = {{start date and age|2010}}

| current_status = Defunct

| dissolved = September 2013

}}

Lanyrd (pronounced and named after "lanyard") was a conference directory website. It was created by Simon Willison and Natalie Downe and launched in 2010.{{cite web | last=MacManus| first=Richard| title=Happy Appiversary, Lanyrd |url=https://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/happy_appiversary_lanyrd.php|publisher=ReadWriteWeb| date=5 September 2011|access-date=6 January 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120104102346/http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/happy_appiversary_lanyrd.php|archive-date=4 January 2012|url-status=dead}} The site was created while the couple were on honeymoon.{{cite news| last=Johnson| first=Bobbie|title=How Lanyrd went from Casablanca to conference circuit |url=http://gigaom.com/2011/09/09/how-lanyrd-went-from-casablanca-to-conference-circuit/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111124053238/http://gigaom.com/2011/09/09/how-lanyrd-went-from-casablanca-to-conference-circuit/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=November 24, 2011 |newspaper=GigaOm |date=9 September 2011}}

The site compiled blog posts, photos and other coverage from events and keeps it organised by session and speaker. Users on the site were identified through the Twitter API and events were shown to users based on their contacts on Twitter. The company received $1.4 million in seed funding in September 2011,{{cite web|last=Butcher|first=Mike|title=Lanyrd Secures $1.4 million In Seed Funding To Make Conferences More Social|date=6 September 2011|publisher=TechCrunch|url=https://techcrunch.com/2011/09/06/lanyrd-secures-1-4-million-in-seed-funding-to-make-conferences-more-social/}} having participated in the Y Combinator startup incubator program.{{cite web|url=http://www.xconomy.com/san-francisco/2011/05/12/lanyrd-twitter-meets-linkedin-meets-imdb-for-the-conference-circuit/|title=Lanyrd: Twitter Meets LinkedIn Meets IMDB for the Conference Circuit|first=Wade|last=Roush|date=11 April 2011|publisher=Xconomy}}{{cite web|url=https://thenextweb.com/apps/2011/01/31/lanyrd-launches-to-change-the-conference-landscape-using-twitter/|title=Lanyrd launches to change the conference landscape using Twitter|first=Courtney Boyd|last=Myers|date=31 January 2011|publisher=The Next Web}} The company was based in the Old Street Roundabout area in London.{{cite web|url=http://www.netmagazine.com/features/net-awards-2011-top-10-developers|first=Oliver|last=Lindberg|title=.net awards 2011: top 10 developers|date=9 September 2011}}

In October 2011, Lanyrd launched an iOS app for iPhone and iPod Touch devices.[http://lanyrd.com/blog/2011/iphone/ Lanyrd for iPhone, on iOS 4 and iOS 5], Lanyrd blog

To help attendees at the 2012 SXSW Interactive conference in Austin, Texas, Lanyrd launched a special site listing conference sessions and speakers, and letting individuals see which of their friends from Twitter were attending or speaking at the scheduled sessions.{{cite news|last=Boyd Myers|first=Courtney|title=Lanyrd leverages Twitter to show you which SXSWi panels you should attend|url=https://thenextweb.com/apps/2012/03/06/lanyard-leverages-twitter-to-show-you-which-sxswi-panels-you-should-attend/|accessdate=12 March 2012|newspaper=The Next Web|date=6 March 2012}} They also made the SXSW data available in the form of iPhone and mobile web apps.{{cite news|last=Dao|first=Alex|title=Companies Aim To Get Noticed at SXSW with New Offerings|url=http://betakit.com/2012/03/08/companies-aim-to-get-noticed-at-sxsw-with-new-offerings|accessdate=12 March 2012|newspaper=BetaKit|date=8 March 2012}}{{cite news|last=Rowinski|first=Dan|title=How Lanyrd Uses HTML5 for a Great Mobile Web App|url=https://www.readwriteweb.com/mobile/2012/01/how-lanyrd-uses-html5-for-a-gr.php|accessdate=12 March 2012|newspaper=ReadWriteWeb|date=31 January 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120304234219/http://www.readwriteweb.com/mobile/2012/01/how-lanyrd-uses-html5-for-a-gr.php|archive-date=4 March 2012|url-status=dead}} In addition, Lanyrd produced browser plugins for Google Chrome, Firefox, Opera and Safari to filter tweets which mentioned SXSW or were from SXSW attendees.{{cite news|last=Butcher|first=Mike|title=How To Temporarily Silence All Those Annoying Twitterers At SXSW|url=https://techcrunch.com/2012/02/22/how-to-temporarily-silence-all-those-annoying-twitterers-at-sxsw/|accessdate=12 March 2012|newspaper=TechCrunch|date=22 February 2012}} The website became a useful tool for amplified conferences.

In September 2013, Lanyrd was acquired by Eventbrite.[http://lanyrd.com/blog/2013/eventbrite/ Lanyrd acquired by Eventbrite], Lanyrd blog{{Cite news|url=https://techcrunch.com/2013/09/03/eventbrite-acquires-eventioz-and-lanyrd/|title=Making Its First Acquisitions, Eventbrite Buys Ticketing Service Eventioz And Event Data Company Lanyrd|last=Ha|first=Anthony|work=TechCrunch|access-date=2018-02-14|language=en}} Post-acquisition, the website lanyrd.com is no longer live.{{Citation needed|date=May 2023}}