A Dublin nightclub owner says it's not clear whether the need for a ticketing system will work for the sector into the future.
Friday night marked the reopening of nightclubs after being closed since March 2020.
However, the final reopening guidelines for the sector were only published on Friday evening - revealing that clubs will need to sell tickets in advance from this week.
While clubs could reopen without a ticketing system over the long weekend, the guidelines mean venues will now be unable to sell tickets at the door for the foreseeable future.
Ian Redmond, owner of Tramline nightclub, told Newstalk Breakfast he has mixed views on that new guideline.
He said: "We sold out three shows [this weekend], so we knew exactly how many were coming… 900 tickets each night. We were able to staff for that… it helped us plan for it.
"That’s fantastic for the opening weekend, and possibly next weekend for Halloween.
“But into the future, we don’t know if the ticketing system will work. It takes the spontaneity out of someone going out for dinner or drink and then saying ‘let’s pop out to Tramline or Coppers.'"
However, he said other industries - such as the cinema industry - have moved successfully to a predominantly online pre-booking system since reopening.
Reopening night
Despite the last-minute guidelines, Mr Redmond says it felt "amazing" to reopen their doors on Friday.
He said: “There was such an air of trepidation from all of my colleagues in the nightclub world… after 19 months, the nervousness was just insane.
“But to get the doors open as we did on Friday evening at 7 pm… once the people started in flowing in... it was great.
“It was mainly 18-20 year olds who came to Tramline. Bewilderment on their faces is how you’d describe it - these are kids who have never been to a nightclub before.
“It was fantastic to see that energy and the smiles on their faces.”
However, the industry does face other challenges beyond COVID-19 - with Mr Redmond saying insurance costs have "skyrocketed", despite a year-and-a-half with no claims.
He said: “We feel so let down by the insurance industry.
"It’s a duopoly situation - there are two underwriters in the UK, and they’re the only people who’ll cover us.
“There are plenty of venues who didn’t open this weekend simply because they couldn’t get insurance."
Other sectors have also raised concerns about rising insurance costs in recent months.
