Optimal Audio Launches Venue Wizard

Optimal Audio has launched Venue Wizard, a free online tool that gives venue owners and integrators a system recommendation in under five minutes, with no sign-up required. Six short steps of questions about the space and how it is used are all it takes for Venue Wizard to draw on the full Optimal Audio ecosystem and suggest a combination of multi-zone control, amplification, and loudspeakers.

The questions are written in the language of running a venue, not the language of a datasheet. Venue Wizard asks whether the venue shows live sport rather than whether HDMI connectivity is required, and that answer steers the recommendation towards Optimal's Zone family of controllers. The final choice within the range is then shaped by the number of zones the venue needs and whether a powered variant suits the way the loudspeakers will be deployed. Live bands, background music, and the other ways a venue is used are handled similarly.

Practical questions shape the outline specification too, such as whether loudspeakers will be mounted on the wall, in the ceiling or outdoors. An "I don't know" option is offered throughout, and any uncertainty is carried forward to the local distributor, who is better placed to resolve it. Venue Wizard also asks what matters most -- lowest possible cost or room to grow - and weights its recommendation accordingly.

Each recommendation begins with control, followed by amplification and loudspeakers. Loudspeaker selection is driven by content, so a room built around background music is treated differently from one that hosts live bands. Every product or product grouping comes with an explanation of why it has been recommended, so buyers understand the reasoning as well as the result.

"Commercial audio has always expected the customer to do the homework before they can even ask the question," explains Jamie Gomez, global demand manager. "Venue Wizard takes that away. After a few questions about their venue, a buyer comes away with a clear picture of what they could achieve. If they want to go further, they're a few details away from a conversation with an expert in their own market."

Venue Wizard is deliberately a starting point rather than a full system design tool. Buyers who would like their recommendation emailed to them, or followed up, can submit a few details. The recommendation is then forwarded to the Optimal Audio distributor in their country, where an expert can refine the specification around the venue.

For more information, check out youtu.be/Als9IbXLtVE.

Venue Wizard is available now at optimal-audio.co.uk/resources/venue-wizard/.