The commission makes the schedule, chooses the venues, sets the rules, and picks the moderators, with an eye to a certain decorum, the state of the Union, the dignity of the office.
With the four ovoid venues set in a rectangular volume stretching 225 metres long by 160 metres wide, there is a lot of leftover space, mainly decked out with acres of grey carpet, plasterboard walls and suspended ceiling tiles, every surface painted black or white, giving it a rather bleak, monotonous feeling.
The Corum conference centre, one of the rare major venues set in a downtown area in France and the Arena-Park & Suites, the new multi-purpose arena able to hold up to 15,000 people (the second largest downtown facility in France).
Within these venues, set decorations are inspired from Aerosmith album covers.
The stadium was one of 12 confirmed venues set to host matches of the 2015 Rugby World Cup; however, in April 2013 United pulled out of the contract over concerns about pitch quality and not wanting to compromise their relationship with the 13-man code.
Across the country, thousands of venues – set up in schools and offices - are distributing vaccinations for the National Vitamin A Plus Campaign NVACC).
The prototype is unique in the current literature as it is specifically designed to simulate a concert venue setting such as a stadium or auditorium and is highly configurable allowing for user definition of concert venues with any arrangement of seats, pathways, stages, exits, and people as well as the definition of multiple fires with fire and smoke dynamics included.
So how might a producing arts venue set about triggering inspiration in its artists?
The anger outside the venue set the tone for the event itself.
Godfrey Palaia, 48, general manager, calls the Spot "a social venue set up to enhance the social life of graduate students".
