Study reveals the elusive paradox of gaining entry to Berlin’s techno clubs

Queuing for entry into Berlin’s world-famous nightlife is a high-stakes game, filled with speculation on the secrets to getting past the door. New research from the University of Bath, King’s College London, and Freie Universität Berlin shows how ‘selectors’ decide who gets inside - and who gets left out in the cold.

Published in the Journal of Marketing, 38 in-depth interviews conducted between 2018 and 2022 with frontline and backstage staff responsible for creating the social atmosphere and experience - including club owners, event organisers, DJs, queue selectors and security – and club-goers, revealed the criteria at play when choosing from a queue of hundreds of would-be customers.

“Selectors are assessing the extent to which people ‘fit it’ but, paradoxically, also whether they ‘stand out’. Highly stylised dress codes, knowledge of the nuances of Berlin techno club culture, the ability to strike up conversation with others in the queue and evident ‘energy’ and ‘charisma’ are key,” says Dr Tim Hill, senior lecturer in marketing at the University of Bath’s school of Management.   

“At the same time, standing out’ is assessed based on whether they’re going to add to the apparent diversity of the crowd on any given night. Underrepresented markers of identity - race, age, sexuality, gender identities are all valued to the extent they help build a 'cosmopolitan' and 'diverse' crowd.”

Curators justify the exclusion of ‘mainstream’ customers as necessary to create a ‘safe space’ for marginalised customers.

“Customer exclusion is necessary to foster the shared emotions and behaviours that create powerful shared emotional experiences” says Dr Hill.

No club-goer can have a 100% track record of being allowed in because selectors are constantly reacting to the dynamics of who is already inside.

They are famously guarded on explaining decisions, but the researchers observed door queues in operation (an estimated 500 selection decisions), and sourced archive data about Berlin’s club scene to piece together the criteria they used.

Excessive alcohol consumption, aggression and antisocial conduct were clear red flags, and many clubs use closed-circuit television to monitor the queues and enable curators to observe behaviours that customers might assume go unnoticed.

Phillip, a selector, explained how they “have to be careful with letting larger groups enter … Being part of a group already makes people less likely to connect with others, with strangers, to become part of something bigger.”

The researchers gained unprecedented access to Berlin’s best-known clubs thanks to longstanding connections to the city’s cultural scene developed by Professor Michael Kleinaltenkamp from Freie Universität.

“Berlin’s unique brutalist venues are places of experimentation and escapism and the careful and sustained curation have contributed to their position in UNESCO’s cultural heritage list and attract techno tourists from around the world. The club scene contributes 1.48 billion euros ($1.65 billion) to tourism overall,” he says.

The study showed that ensuring the optimal mix of customers is in fact a three-stage marketing and filtering process: cultivating who they attract to their door, handpicking a diverse yet complementary crowd on the night, and mystifying the process to reinforce exclusivity.

“We assumed customer selection was the primary method by which clubs manage social fit, but during data collection we discovered clubs also ‘filter’ customers before they arrive and after the event ended,” says Dr Ilias Danatzis at King’s Business School, King’s College London.

Martin, an event organiser interviewed by the researchers explains: “The door begins, so to speak, before the door. It starts with the marketing of the events of the club.”

Club staff decide on their expectations for the ‘social fit’ – the concept or vision for the club night and the people who will be part of it. Event names are carefully chosen, along with the imagery and dress codes featured in promotional material, displayed in select locations and using word of mouth among regulars and cryptic social media posts. 

The researchers say the study explains how firms in the wider experience economy, including festivals, live sport and even religious events, can attract and select from a diverse customer base to create powerful shared experiences.

“While we don’t suggest all organisations turn people away at the door, there are valuable lessons in the art of selective inclusion and exclusion from Berlin nightclubs and their success at carefully curated atmospheres,” Dr Hill says.

Curating the Crowd: How firms manage social fit to stage social atmospheres, is published in the Journal of Marketing.

ENDS