Celeste Chong
Marketing Director, The Butter Factory
Do you think the ban should be implemented in bars and clubs?
“From a business point of view, no, I don’t think the ban should be implemented! For smokers, having a drink goes hand in hand with having a smoke. Smokers will feel uncomfortable not being allowed to light up when they’re enjoying their drink in a club. And because of that, they might drink less!”
How will it affect The Butter Factory?
“We’re predicting a dip in sales in the first two months as smokers might not be used to the idea of not being allowed to smoke in a club. However, I believe business should pick up after that and be back to normal since this is an island wide ban. And unlike overseas, where more people live on their own and can throw house parties, most Singaporeans live with their parents, where it’s not that convenient to throw house parties. So eventually smokers will get used to the idea not being able to light up in a club and will start clubbing like how they used to again.”
Calvin Sio
Assistant Vice President of Marketing, Ministry of Sound
Do you think the smoking ban will affect how people choose to club?
“I guess in the beginning we might get that happening, but once people get used to it, it might actually be ok. After all, these indoor clubs are different because they offer an experience that’s a lot more than just the ability to light up a cigarette.”
Tracy Philips
Marketing Manager, Zouk
Are you guys planning to set up a separate smoking room for clubbers when the smoking ban happens?
We are expanding our smoking areas at the back of the club, so that in the case of Velvet Underground and Zouk members, guests may now also exit the back doors to smoke. There will be no indoor smoking areas built, but being on the ground-floor it’s very easy for our customers to take a quick step outside for a puff.
How do you think the smoking ban will affect clubs in the long run—is it a good or a bad thing?
It will cause changes to our usual modes of operation, like employing more security to man exit doors, oversee re-entry to the club, watch tables of drinks where customers have gone out for a puff, etc. In the long term, the industry will bounce back though as people can’t just stay home. Being a non-smoker, it will be nice to leave the club without smelling like an ashtray and in terms of design we may be able to look at other finishings and furniture now that it won’t be so easily destroyed by cigarette burns!
Thank You For Not Smoking
Here’s a reminder of some of the places smoking will be disallowed from Jul 1 (taken from the National Environment Agency website http://app.nea.gov.sg/)
- Entertainment outlets like pubs, bars, discotheques, lounges (including KTV lounges), nightclubs, etc.
- Any amusement center.
- Any air-conditioned hall, ballroom or function room.
- Any cinemas or theaters.
- Any enclosed premises of a bank.
- Any clinical laboratory, healthcare establishment or hospital.
- Any indoor sports arena, bowling alley, billiard saloon, gymnasium or fitness centre.
- Any public museum or public art gallery.
- Any air-conditioned shopping mall.
- Any underground pedestrian walkway.
- Any area occupied by a queue of two or more persons in a public place.
- Any air-conditioned shop.
- Which pretty much sums up anywhere air-conditioned, if you ask us.
