Multipurpose Venues

Acoustic Panels for Multipurpose Venues

Multipurpose venues are designed for flexibility—hosting everything from concerts and conferences to sports events and community gatherings. But with their large open spaces and hard surfaces, these venues often suffer from poor acoustics that make speech and music unclear.

Sontext provides tailored acoustic panel systems for multipurpose halls, recreation centres, exhibition spaces, and auditoriums. Our products improve speech intelligibility, reduce echo, and maintain the versatility these venues demand.

The Challenge of Flexible Spaces

Multipurpose venues often feature high ceilings, exposed structures, and minimal furnishings. These design features create long reverberation times, which can negatively affect both speech and amplified sound. Without acoustic treatment, events can become uncomfortable or difficult to follow.

Flexible Acoustic Solutions

Sontext offers a wide range of acoustic products suited to multi-use spaces, including ceiling baffles, fabric wall panels, timber acoustic panels, and printed feature panels. All solutions are customisable to suit event types, building design, and aesthetic preferences.

Tailored for Performance and Design

Whether the space is used for music, speech, or general public gatherings, our panels are engineered to reduce reverberation without compromising visual impact. Fire-rated, low-VOC, and sustainable material options are available.

Talk to Our Project Team

We can help you assess the space, recommend the right acoustic products, and manufacture custom solutions that deliver the performance your venue requires.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why do multipurpose venues have poor acoustics?

High ceilings and hard surfaces create long reverberation times, making speech and music unclear without acoustic treatment.

Can panels be installed without affecting the flexibility of the space?

Yes. Sontext panels are designed to blend into the architecture while still allowing the venue to serve multiple uses.

What are the most common acoustic products used in these spaces?

Fabric wall panels, ceiling baffles, and timber slat panels are commonly used to control sound in multipurpose halls.

Do the panels meet fire and safety standards?

All Sontext acoustic panels are tested to meet Australian fire safety regulations and are suitable for public spaces.

Can panels be branded or used as design features?

Yes. We offer printed and decorative finishes that allow panels to enhance the visual impact of the space.

Recommended Acoustic Panels for Multipurpose Venues

Panel Type Application Area Acoustic Benefit Custom Options
Ceiling Baffles Suspended from ceilings Reduces vertical reverberation and echo Spacing, colour, material
Fabric-Wrapped Panels Walls and perimeter areas Improves speech intelligibility Fabric finish, size, colour
Printed Acoustic Panels Feature walls and branding zones Combines sound control with visual appeal Custom graphics or logos
Timber Acoustic Panels Ceilings and rear walls Broadband absorption and aesthetics Grooved, perforated, veneer options

Multipurpose Room Acoustics

Across the education sector, traditional school halls are increasingly being transformed into multipurpose event centres—complete with advanced lighting and sound systems—where budgets permit. These upgraded spaces are designed to support a wide range of activities beyond assemblies.

Uses can include performances, presentations, community meetings, and even indoor sports. In such versatile settings, the experience of both the audience and the performers is heavily shaped by the quality and clarity of sound throughout the venue.

Multipurpose venues are often large spaces with high ceilings, masonry walls, and minimal soft furnishings. These hard surfaces reflect sound, which can cause echo, distortion, and a lack of clarity—particularly for speech and music.

This can result in discomfort for building occupants due to elevated background noise and reverberation. Sound reflections bouncing off walls and ceilings reduce intelligibility and impact the overall user experience.

The best time to address interior acoustics in new construction is during the design stage. However, a practical and effective solution for existing venues is to install sound-absorbing acoustic panels to reduce reflections and improve sound quality.

Solution to Reduce Noise In Multipurpose Venues

Multipurpose venues host a wide range of activities, each with different acoustic demands. To ensure clarity and comfort, sound absorption must cover a broad frequency spectrum—from the sharp echoes of indoor sports to the refined acoustics needed for musical performances.

Sontext manufactures SerenityLite Panels in thicknesses ranging from 25mm to 200mm, allowing designers to specify the right acoustic performance for each application.

Find out more about SerenityLite Panels here.

Serenity Acoustic Panels are built with durability in mind. Each panel features an MDF backing and an impact-resistant membrane beneath the fabric facing, providing added strength and resilience in active environments.

This makes them ideal for venues where panels may be exposed to occasional contact or impact, such as indoor sports events, including basketball, volleyball, or community activities.

Find out more about Serenity Panels here.

Murano Acoustic Panels by Sontext are manufactured from natural timber and MDF, featuring a perforated face that allows sound waves to pass through and be absorbed by the backing insulation.

These panels can be installed on either walls or ceilings, with acoustic insulation placed behind them to achieve effective sound control across a wide frequency range. They also offer a refined timber finish, making them suitable for both performance and presentation spaces.

Find out more about Murano Acoustic Panels here.

Whether for new construction or retrofitting, Sontext Acoustic Panels are well suited to multipurpose spaces. Our team can assist with selecting the right panel types, sizes, shapes, finishes, and performance levels to match the needs of any interior.