Yondr Pouches — Page 2

I've had to use these pouches a couple of times during comedy shows (one was Chappelle at Radio City; another was Two Dope Queens) and while I would love for them to be utilized on Broadway, I don't see it happening for a few reasons: 

1) If I recall correctly, your phone can still be turned on while it's in the pouch. So while it may prevent people from taking photos or accessing their phones during a show, it's not going to prevent it from ringing. And that might make things worse, since you won't be able to open the pouch to silence it.

2) The aforementioned comedy shows that used the pouches didn't have intermissions. While I'm happy to silence and store away my phone during a show, I want to be able to use it at intermission. It would take a LONG time for ushers to go around unlocking people's phones for a 15 minute intermission. So much time would be wasted. It's just not feasible. The pouches would only work during a show with no intermission. (Freestyle Love Supreme is 80 minutes with no intermission, according to the show's website.)

3) I think more and more producers are realizing the benefits of a pre-show or intermission pic on social media. (Someone mentioned the Playbill pic that's ubiquitous on Instagram.) Like it or not it's being embraced as a beneficial form of free marketing. I don't think producers would want to prevent people from posting pics like that. (A lot of shows even encourage hashtags to be used.) Locking up their phones before they get to their seats would put an end to that.

Cell phone distraction is a problem that's not going away anytime soon, unfortunately. People just have to stop being assholes, but that will never happen.

LuPita2 said: "You don't know anything about Yondr pouches, so it's best anyways."

I never said that I wouldn't have my phone in my possession. You need to read my post again because you clearly didn't read what I actually posted. 

mattyp4 said: "3) I think more and more producers are realizing the benefits of a pre-show or intermission pic on social media. (Someone mentioned the Playbill pic that's ubiquitous on Instagram.) Like it or not it's being embraced as a beneficial form of free marketing."

Has anyone ever seen one of these and been like, I MUST SEE THIS SHOW!!!!???

haterobics said: "mattyp4 said: "3) I think more and more producers are realizing the benefits of a pre-show or intermission pic on social media. (Someone mentioned the Playbill pic that's ubiquitous on Instagram.) Like it or not it's being embraced as a beneficial form of free marketing."

Has anyone ever seen one of these and been like, I MUST SEE THIS SHOW!!!!???"

Like Hogan said, it creates reminders. Anecdotal, but I wouldn't have thought to check out last minute tickets for The Prom in June if I hadn't seen a friend post a picture online right before I went to NYC.

haterobics said: "Has anyone ever seen one of these and been like, I MUST SEE THIS SHOW!!!!???"

I can't say I've done exactly that, but I feel like I would. Like I saw pictures of the Gary Playbill and the curtain and that got me excited (even as I was already planning on seeing the show). Maybe it's not as exaggerated, but it does create positive buzz at the very least. 

greygarden said: "The answer is blindingly obvious. TURN OFF YOUR PHONE for a couple of hours. The world will not end. Sit back and enjoy the show. Forget about everything else.Stop distracting those of us who have come to watch the show."

If only you posted this earlier, we wouldn't have had to discuss anything.

PatrickDC said: "The San Francisco Chronicle has an article about Madonna’s Madame X tour which is playing three shows at the Golden Gate Theater. Thinking back and can’t recall a time when a concert happened in one of the three big houses.

The main point of the article is producers will require attendees to put their phones in Yondr baggies. I’m curious how this works and the extra time before and after to lock/unlock the baggies.

I really Hope theater doesn’t go this route. Most lobbies can’t accommodate the extra space to maintain, distribute and collect the bags. There will also be a cost to purchase them, and extra staff to administer at every performance. I assume the traditional 30-minute pre curtain time would need to be extended. When leaving, do a bunch of ushers have keys to unlock them?

It’s wonderful at intermission to converse with strangers about the show. Sadly most people have their heads bent down staring at phones. What will these people do if they have issues unplugging for a couple hours?? Go into withdrawal? LOL"

Leave your phone at home and then you won't have to worry about it x

Impossible2 said: "TotallyEffed said: "You need your phone for mobile tickets."

Print them out x"

I think a lot of Madonna's venues are doing SafeTix, which are mobile only, and people are being instructed to remember their seat locations, because their phones will be put in their pouches immediately after scanning for entry. 

Well, if their methods of keeping cell phone usage controlled in their shows negatively impact the audience over the artist, then that isn't a major issue, just something to sort out and improve in the future. As the artists are the ones annoyed at present.

everythingtaboo said: "Impossible2 said: "TotallyEffed said: "You need your phone for mobile tickets."

Print them out x"

people are being instructed to remember their seat locations, because their phones will be put in their pouches immediately after scanning for entry."

LOL. What could possibly go wrong?

 

haterobics said: "Matt Rogers said: "LOL. What could possibly go wrong?"

Nothing. The few who don't remember them will have to go back out into the lobby, unlock their phone, get their seat numbers, and relock their phones?"

Considering this wasn’t mentioned before purchasing tickets, and the tickets are mobile, I do think people will throw a fit over this and it won’t be as simple and smooth as you make it sound.

haterobics said: "Nothing. The few who don't remember them will have to go back out into the lobby, unlock their phone, get their seat numbers, and relock their phones?"

In theory, some jerk could sit in the purposely wrong seat in hopes of getting a better spot and if anyone calls them on it, that whole group of people (plus an usher) would have to go to the lobby to figure out whose seat it really is. Not a super smart plan, but I could see people try to abuse this and make this a headache for much of the staff of any venue that would implement this.