Infamous venues like the Royal Shakespeare Company, National Theatre and The Globe Theatre are all following a no-phone policy to protect the experience of the show without the chances of ringing phones or secret recordings.

However, policies aren’t always followed, with comedian Chris Rock leaving the stage during a private comedy show due to guests at the New York City event violating his non-filming policy.

Clearly, just hoping viewers would follow the policy may not be enough.

The answer? Lockable phone pouches

Chris Rock was one of the first artists to ban phones from his shows in 2017. Since then, show organisers have rolled out lockable phone pouches to encourage people to live in the moment. For those desperate to make a call, there are dedicated zones for people to unlock their pouch and regain access. Otherwise, eventgoers have their pouches unlocked by staff at the exits once the show has finished.

Here at Phone Locker, we’ve helped theatres and other shows create phone-free spaces, improving the performance of the artists and customers.

More recently, we’ve even helped the Royal Court Theatre’s writers to focus, with their dedicated workspaces now using our lockable phone pouches to remove distraction.

How do they work?

Lockable phone pouches are really simple. As guests enter the venue, they’re given a pouch. They place their phone inside and push the clip down to lock the pouch. Without a special magnet unlocker, the pouch cannot be unlocked.

The venue can either place magnet stations in dedicated ‘phone zones’ or near exits. In addition, staff with mobile magnet unlockers can assist guests with unlocking their pouches and keep the queue moving.

Does Phone Locker provide support?

Yes! As well as practical help in setting up Phone Locker in your venue, we provide materials to help you notify staff and patrons. This support is free of charge, and inclusive when ordering our lockable phone pouches.

You can find out more how lockable phone pouches work, or reach out to us directly to discuss your next phone-free event.