Nightclub stickers over smartphone rule

At Amber’s, phones are not banned outright, but clubbers will be required to put a sticker over the camera lens to prevent photos being taken. A content team will be on hand to take and post photos online instead.

The BBC reported that people violating the rule will be “politely asked to stop”, says Abbott. “If you are seen doing it again, you will be asked to leave the venue.”

Abbott concedes Amber’s no phones rules are a risk but says the club has been “blown away” by the response.

Lord says the policy could be a “shot in the arm” for the industry and “bring back the energy to the dance floor”.

The no camera rule has divided opinion.  The BBC report also that Graeme Park, one of Britain’s best-known DJs and a leading figure from Manchester’s legendary Hacienda nightclub, said:

“I totally, totally understand and think that no smartphones on the dancefloor is a great idea.

“However, I’ve got a 20-year-old son. He makes music, he DJs, he goes clubbing and he’s like, ‘why’s your generation telling our generation we can’t use our smartphones?'”

Ben Park, Graeme’s son, says: 

“Personally, I’ve got nothing against phones being in clubs. I understand the whole no phone policy but at the same time people want to post pictures of them or their friends on social media, people want to promote it online.”

But he understands why some clubbers – and DJs – get annoyed by so-called TikTok ravers who “literally go to events just to show that they’ve been there and just post it on TikTok.”

Cyberpsychologist Dr Hadlington says for these clubbers, it could be about a fear of missing out on social media action.

“The paradox is they’re spending more time posting about it than they’re enjoying the good time.”

It might be a relatively new concept in the UK, but in Berlin, 90% of venues have a no phones on the dancefloor code, according to Lutz Leichsenring, former spokesperson for Clubcommission Berlin and co-founder of VibeLab.