What was it like when Danville hosted the vice presidential debate?

DANVILLE, Ky. ( FOX 56 ) — The running mates for both of the nation's presidential campaigns will be meeting on the debate stage Tuesday night. As the vice presidential candidates get ready for their moment in the spotlight, it wasn't too many cycles ago that a different set was doing the same in Danville, Kentucky. Centre College's Norton Center for the Arts has played host to two VP matchups: Lieberman vs. Cheney in 2000 and then-Vice President Joe Biden against Paul Ryan in 2012.

We were able to achieve something that very few institutions and communities are able to do. Norton Center for the Arts executive director Steve Hoffman told FOX 56. Hoffman was there for the 2012 matchup and said it was a big undertaking for the facility, which basically transformed it into a TV studio.

"We had to remove seats, we had to have duplicate power systems, We had to have a lot of security, and be prepared for all the press from around the world to show up," he said.

Outside, the community watched on jumbotrons and celebrated in a daylong festival. Hoffman was also able to recruit the hands of around 100 student ushers for the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

"In addition to all of the students and Centre College students who were able to work in the press room and work outside with the different activities that were going on. Some of the students actually got to sit in the chairs where the vice-presidential candidates were going to sit while they were doing all of the camera angles and getting everything prepped," he said.

And although it was just one night of television, Hoffman said the brief moment in the national spotlight had a big ripple effect on the community.

"A lot of the workers were here for at least a week. So that created a tremendous amount of visibility of central Kentucky, as well as economic impact," he said.