Margaret BauerThe hospitality tent, network and spin booths, extra wiring and the main stage are finally in place and the Washington University Field House is ready to hold tonight’s presidential debate.
The stage was trucked in on Wednesday, and shortly thereafter lights were installed and red carpets laid out on the floor. Once the stage arrived, the sixth network booth could be brought onto the floor and production staff finished building it. Dozens of microphones were set up so that the town hall participants can address the candidates with their pre-selected questions.
Steve Givens, assistant to the chancellor and chair of the University’s Presidential Debate Steering Committee, noted on Wednesday that everything has proceeded according to schedule.
“The crew scrambles, but they definitely work fast,” said Givens.
An outside production staff has handled all the setup for the debate hall itself. Although the University assists in making sure setup goes smoothly, it does not directly make these arrangements.
According to the Commission on Presidential Debates representative Joani Kornlos, once the finishing touches on the set are completed, town hall participants will get a walk-through of the space. During this time they will practice walking to the microphone and rehearse dummy questions to get comfortable with the equipment.
“The practice questions are used to maintain the integrity of the process and the exact number of questions asked during the debate depends on the timing and the moderator’s discretion,” said Kornlos.
A hospitality tent, sponsored by Anheuser-Busch, is also set up in the parking lot to the north of the Athletic Complex across Snow Way Drive from the Village. Food and drinks will be catered by Bon App‚tit, which is expecting to feed close to 3,000 people on Friday. In addition, credentialed guests will have access to lunch and dinner in the tent on Friday.
According to General Manager Kathy Carmody, Bon App‚tit will also be handling the catering needs for many of the networks and other affiliates throughout the week. She expects that they will cater over 50 events on Friday alone.