The smoking-non-smoking dichotomy, or its relative marketability, is, I think, very much a product of location and culture. Here is north Florida, where, as in the rest of the US, we've been bombarded by anti-smoking campaigns for 20 years or so, they don't seem to be costly at the gate. When advertized, they seem to draw some and loose some. As a performer, I don't object to "some" smoke, but in a place with poor ventilation it can build up to problem levels. Personally, I quit smoking 26+ years ago. For a while, cigaret smoke literally made me sick; now it's merely obnoxious, but denser levels do get to me. However, I sure enjoy sitting "down-wind" of somebody else's good cigar or pipe.

I get the impression that the anti-smoking canpaign is just now begining to really catch on in parts of Europe. I think that Alex has the right spin - it's easy enough to step out on the porch or deck for a smoke. Polite, as well.

As to sign-ups and other management devices, they're a mixed bag, and largely depend on, but also determine, the success of the session. Personally, I support the events as way for newer performers of all ages to gain exposure and experience, but there are limits as to what you can reasonably expect an audience to tolerate. That's where "management" comes in. There is some vague, hard-to-define threshhold of "entertainment value" that hopefuls should surpass. That threshhold seems to rise as a particular event becomes more established. Some places have done a "first-timers only" segment early in the evening, with more "experienced" folks later on. I guess it pretty much a perogative of the management and local customs. Just remember: everybody's gotta start somewhere, somehow.