Location
The Berglund Center is conveniently located at the intersection of Williamson Road off Interstate 581 and State Route 460. Air transportation is available just 5 miles North on I-581 at the Roanoke Regional Airport with several major airlines to choose from. For ground transportation, Valley Metro city buses pick-up and drop-off in front of the Berglund Center every hour (every half-hour during morning and afternoon rush). Taxi service is also available and convenient within the city.
Directions
Take I-81 South to I-581 South, Exit 143. Follow I-581 South to Exit 4E (Orange Avenue). The Berglund Center is at the corner of Orange Avenue and Williamson Road.
Travel US 220 North to I-581 North to Exit 4E or 4W (Orange Avenue). The Berglund Center is at the corner of Orange Avenue and Williamson Road.
Travel US Route 460 into Roanoke. The Civic Center is at the corner of Orange Avenue and Williamson Road.
Travel I-81 North to I-581 South, Exit 143. Follow I-581 South to Exit 4E or 4W (Orange Avenue). The Berglund Center is at the corner of Orange Avenue and Williamson Road.
Public & Educational Tours
Public and educational tours are welcomed! We would love the opportunity to show you and your group our facility and help you plan your next event. Our staff will share with you about their specific areas of responsibility and provide you with interesting information that will give a better understanding of event planning and performance from the venue perspective.
Scheduling
Please call 540-853-2241 to schedule your tour today!
Parking Accommodations
Up to 1,400 vehicles on average may be accommodated in a well-lit parking lot. For evenings with major and multiple events, shuttle buses may run from area parking garages.
Accessible Parking
Accessible parking is available for guests with special needs and is easily accessible in parking lot A, in the front of the Berglund Center. Ramps are located between the Coliseum and Performing Arts Theatre on the plaza and adjacent to the Special Events Center. A Genie personal lift with a height of 36 inches is available for stage access with advanced notice. For further information regarding accessible parking, accessible routes and accessible parking see the Guest Guidelines).
Shuttles
Shuttle buses run continually before and after the event until all guests have been picked up and returned to the garage. Please check the event website prior to coming to your event or call the Berglund Center info line at 540-853-LIVE (5483) to see if shuttles will be running.
Camping Accommodations
A limited number of guests with campers may be accommodated. Utilities are not available. All camping is 1st-come, 1st-serve, cash, or credit cards only. No checks.
Paid Parking
Parking for events at the Berglund Center will require a $5 advanced parking pass. Advanced parking passes can be purchased at the box office or online here until the day of the show. If you choose not to purchase an advance parking pass, based on availability, parking can be purchased at lot entry for $5 cash only.
Free Parking
You have the option of parking at no charge in a nearby parking garage from which you can walk to the Berglund Center. In the case of a larger show where parking sells out, we will be running free shuttles from the Elmwood Park Garage to the facility as an overflow parking option.
Elmwood Parking Garage
The Elmwood Park Garage located at the corner of Williamson Road and Tazewell Avenue is the primary parking garage utilized. To access the Elmwood Park Garage on Williamson Road, take the Elm Avenue Exit (Exit 6) off of Interstate 581 and follow the garage directional signs.
Church Avenue Parking Garage
Some events require utilization of the Church Avenue Parking Garage located at Church Avenue and Second Street. To access the Church Avenue Parking Garage take Williamson Road to Church Avenue, the garage is on the right just before Second Street.
Hotels & Lodging in Virginia's Blue Ridge
The hotels and lodging options in the Roanoke Valley in Virginia's Blue Ridge make it so you will have no trouble finding a place to rest at the end of your busy Blue Ridge Day. With easy access from major highways and the Roanoke-Blacksburg Regional Airport, you will find value in every price range and amenities to fulfill every need.
Hosting Leading Performing Acts
Berglund Center has played host to many of the country’s leading performing acts and entertainment events since its doors opened in 1971. Over 20 million people have attended events at the Berglund Center in its 1st 37 years.
Flexibility
With 4 facilities, Berglund Center has the flexibility to host national touring events and major professional sporting events and tournaments, as well as hometown entertainment. The technical information below provides details on these facilities.
Additional Information
For additional booking information and date availability’s, please contact 540-853-2241.
Scheduling Process
Scheduling Commitment Terms & Definitions
In the process of scheduling facilities and dates, the following terms and definitions shall apply to scheduling commitments:
Requirements for Holding a Date
In order to hold a date(s), the licensee must indicate the exact name of the act / activity involved. Substitutions of acts / activities for a date(s) voids the hold. Berglund Center Management reserves the right to determine which events are in the best interest of the facility when the same dates and/or similar events are being requested by more than one promoter. Regardless of the hold sequence, the Berglund Center may reject a tentative hold after it has been placed.
Tentative
Hold
- Requests for tentative dates that are made inside 12 months of the event are held for 2 weeks. If the date is not confirmed, within this time period, the Berglund Center management reserves the right to book another event on the date(s) being held, without notification to the potential licensee. That desiring date(s) to be held more than 2 weeks without an executed license agreement should make a request to the Berglund Center management and with management’s approval, will be granted up to a 2-week extension.
- Requests for dates for events held on an annual basis are held more than 12 months out. However, the same date or time period in future years is not guaranteed and is subject to change or cancellation.
- Potential licensees shall not assign or transfer any right or interest in tentative hold dates, including, without limitation, the right to receive any payment, without Berglund Center management’s approval of such assignment. Any such assignment without the approval of the Berglund Center management shall be null and void.
- When a license agreement is fully executed and an appropriate deposit is received, tentative dates then receive the status of confirmed.
1st Option
- Facilities and dates reserved on the 1st option are held pending execution of a license agreement or the release of hold dates. In the event the hold dates are released, 1st option dates receive hold status upon notification to the 1st option holder.
Challenges
- If a potential lessee makes a request for a tentative date being held by another party, they will be given a second option. If the second option holder wants to challenge the date(s), Berglund Center management will give the 1st option holder written notice of the challenge and the 1st option holder will have 72 hours (3 business days) to make a non-refundable deposit in the amount of the basic facility fee for one event day. Upon payment of the deposit, the holder will be granted the date and will have 14 days from the date of receipt of the deposit to sign and return a license agreement. If the executed license agreement is not received by the Berglund Center within 14 days, the date will then be made available to the 1st option holder. The 1st option holder will have 72 hours from his receipt of written notice of the availability of the date to make a non-refundable deposit in the amount of the basic facility fee for 1 event day and sign a license agreement.
Hold Sequences
- When 2 potential lessees are vying for the same act, the promoter who signs the contract with the act receives the license agreement for the date(s) regardless of the hold sequence.
Confirmed
Confirmation of Dates & Required Materials
- Upon confirmation of date(s), the Berglund Center will prepare the license agreement. The original and one copy indicating the portion of the Berglund Center to be leased, details of the event, and a cover letter detailing instructions will be mailed to the event sponsor. From the date of the cover letter, the Berglund Center will continue holding the date(s) without a properly executed license agreement for 14 days. If the properly executed license agreement is not returned within this time limit, the Berglund Center may contract with other parties for the use of the space on the same date(s) without notification to the potential lessee. The original, as well as the copy, must be signed and returned to the Berglund Center along with the required deposit. The Berglund Center Director will then sign and return the fully executed copy to the licensee.
Time Constraints
- The properly executed license agreement, deposits, and insurance certificate must be in the office of the Berglund Center Director 14 working days prior to the event or the Berglund Center reserves the unqualified right to cancel the events. Persons booking events less than 7 days out must provide the aforementioned materials upon booking the date.
Ticket Sales
- Tickets for events will not go on sale until the license agreement has been properly executed and deposits received at the Berglund Center.
Deposit Schedule
Deposit Amount
Deposits are required for all activities upon execution of the license agreement. The licensee shall pay to city the initial required deposit of 100% of the required basic facility fee for 1 event day with the return of the license agreement. The balance of the rent shall be paid at settlement.
Rolling Over & Standing Deposits
If multiple events are held in 1 year, the licensee may opt to roll over the deposit from the previous event in lieu of making multiple deposits. The licensee also has the option of providing a standing deposit for the year.
Scheduling Priorities
Statement of Purpose
The purpose of this scheduling policy is to establish priorities to maximize revenues and facility usage while balancing the economic effect on the City of Roanoke.
Scheduling Policies by Priority
Facility and date scheduling commitments for events and activities made more than 12 months in advance are subject to change. Facility and space commitments for 1st priority events and activities may be made as far in advance as is necessary or appropriate and may supersede requests by 2nd priority events and activities scheduled more than 12 months from the event date.
Managerial Discretion
In all cases, the Berglund Center management may use discretion in maintaining a waiting period before and after an existing event that is considered to be competing for the same audience and/or ticket buyers (i.e., concerts, ice shows, sporting events, circuses, boat shows, craft shows, etc.).
Furthermore, the Berglund Center management may limit the number of competing activities presented during a given 12-month period. During the months of October through April (ice season), no more than 1 consumer show of the same type will be permitted in the Coliseum.
For additional booking information and date availability, please contact 540-853-2241.
1. Berglund Coliseum
1st priority for scheduling the Coliseum is to make dates available to national promoters and tour directors and amateur, and professional sports officials to promote top revenue producing events.
2nd priority for scheduling the Coliseum is to make dates available to national, regional, and state conventions which generate significant economic impact for the Berglund Center and City of Roanoke.
3rd priority for scheduling the Coliseum is to make dates available for consumer or public exhibitions, trade shows, corporate meetings, special events, banquets, business meetings, dances, and other activities.
Date requests for 3rd priority events will not be confirmed and contracts will not be issues more than 6 months in advance of the date(s) of the event.
2. Berglund Performing Arts Theatre
1st priority for scheduling the BPAT is to make dates available to national promoters and tour directors to promote top revenue-producing events and to make dates available to national, regional, and state conventions which generate significant economic impact for the City of Roanoke, and to performance dates for the Roanoke Symphony Orchestra.
2nd priority for scheduling the BPAT is to make dates available for meetings, special events, banquets, local, and all other activities.
3rd priority for scheduling the BPAT is to make dates available for rehearsals on non-performance days. Facility and date scheduling commitments for rehearsals made more than 6 months in advance are subject to change to accommodate 1st and 2nd priority events.
License agreements for 3rd priority events will not be issued more than six (6) months in advance of the event.
3. Berglund Hall & Berglund Special Events Center
1st priority for scheduling Berglund Hall and the Berglund Special Events Center is to make dates available to national, regional, and state conventions which generate significant economic impact for the City of Roanoke.
2nd priority for scheduling Berglund Hall and the Berglund Special Events Center is to make dates available for catered food service events and multiple-day consumer or public exhibitions and tradeshows.
3rd priority for scheduling Berglund Hall and the Berglund Special Events Center is to make dates available for single day events that do not include catered food service. Date requests for 3rd priority events will not be confirmed and contracts will not be issued more than six (6) months in advance of the date(s) of the event.
Encore Catering
Food and beverage must be served by Encore Catering, the official in-house caterer for the Berglund Center. No outside food or beverage is permitted.
About Food Services
“Everything’s Fresh”
Welcome to Food Services, the premier and exclusive caterer for Berglund Center. This section is designed to assist you in planning your event.
Our menus have been carefully crafted by our expert chef and can be tailored and customized to fit your needs.
When planning any event, selecting the perfect site is critical. To be truly successful, all social or business gatherings require great food. That’s where we come in. Our on-site catering staff is second to none at providing extraordinary meals while keeping an eye on the bottom line. We’ll treat your guests to something really special with imaginative menus as well as traditional favorites that taste even better than homemade. From a small breakfast meeting to an elegant banquet for 2,500, let us know how our quality and service can provide you with a successful event - at an excellent price.
Services
Food Services offers full service catering which includes china, service accessories, and personnel. All prices are subject to a 20% catering supplemental fee and 12% sales tax. If your group is tax exempt, that information must be provided in writing prior to the signing of the final contract. Floral arrangements and linens are available at an additional charge. Depending on the nature of event set-up, catering supplemental fees may be greater than 20%.
Facilities
Berglund Center has space for any event from small corporate meetings to plated dinners for 2,500. Room rental rates vary depending on the event and food and beverage needs. Please contact Cathy Ring at 540-853-6860 for space availability and quotes.
Options
You may choose to have a full-service event, purchase from our a la carte and party menus, or pick up orders. A 20% service charge and 10% sales tax applies for all full-service events. Floral arrangements and linens are available at an additional charge.
Time Constraints
All contracts and menus must be signed and returned at least 2 weeks prior to your event. Food service requests made less than 2 business days in advance are subject to a 30% service charge. A guaranteed number of guests must be provided 5 days before your event and Encore Catering will be prepared to serve no more than 5% above that number. Customers are responsible for 100% of the guaranteed number, plus any additional portions served.
Additions, Deletions, Changes
Additions, deletions, or changes must be made at least 3 business days prior to the event. An additional service charge of 10% totaling 30% will be incurred when such changes do not meet these time requirements. Cancellations that are made with less than 2 days notice prior to the scheduled event time will require payment of any costs of goods or services incurred by Encore Catering. When cancellations are made within 2 business days of the scheduled event, you may be charged the full price of the goods and services contracted.
Menus
Menus available upon request.
Decorator Policy
Rules & Regulations
The Berglund Center requests your compliance with the following rules and regulations:
- Arrangements and approval of decorator move-in dates and times must be made with the Berglund Center in advance of the event day.
- All exhibitor booths and tents must be set in compliance with fire codes. No passageways, doorways, or elevator entryways may be blocked. A distance of no less than 4 feet must be maintained allowing access to areas of entry or exit. This also includes entryways to the kitchen, other inside doorways, and exits. Please contact the Berglund Center for further information and assistance when planning your event.
- It is imperative that our facility receives your exhibitor booth floor plan and all electrical requests no less than ten working days prior to the move-in of the event. This will allow our electricians time to prepare and obtain all cords and equipment needed to accommodate your requests.
- The Berglund Center shall not be responsible for the load-in of freight from Exhibit/Trade Show events. A representative of the company designated by the promoter to handle this must be on hand upon move-in to accept freight deliveries. Freight deliveries made prior to move-in day must be held at an alternate location arranged by the promoter or representative of the decorating company until the load-in day.
- Forklifts may be rented from the Berglund Center or from an outside source. Advanced notice of forklift rentals is required to ensure availability. Forklifts are operated by certified union personnel at prevailing I.A.T.S.E. labor rates.
Delivery Policy
Delivery Policy
Any shipments or freight scheduled for delivery to the Berglund Center should be scheduled in advance with the Event Services Staff. Unscheduled deliveries cannot be guaranteed for safe keeping and may not be accepted. It is preferred that deliveries be scheduled while a lessee is present to accept them. All deliveries must be labeled with the event name and facility contact.
Firewatch Policy
Firewatch Personnel
Firewatch personnel must be present during all seated events and events where pyrotechnics, fog, haze, or smoke of any kind are created. All staffing must be provided by the licensor.
Taxes
Admissions Tax
An Admissions Tax of 9% will be levied on all events charging an admission in any form.
Liability Insurance
Insurance Requirements
- Clients entering into an agreement with Berglund Center must obtain and provide Insurance. Insurance must be provided by companies that are licensed to offer coverage in the Commonwealth of Virginia.
- Requirements include the following:
- Insurance requirements include Commercial General Liability Insurance (coverage includes bodily injury, property damage products liability, personal and contractual liability), Commercial Automobile Liability coverage, and Workers Compensation coverage.
- The Insurance Certificate must be written to cover the time period from move-in until the conclusion of move-out.
- Insurance must include the following text in the Special Provisions area of the Certificate:
- “The City of Roanoke, Berglund Center, the Berglund Center Commission, their officers, agents, employees, and volunteers shall be named as additional insureds as their interests may appear for general liability as required by contract.”
- All Insurance Certificates must be provided to Berglund Center no less than 30-days prior to the start of the event.
- Certificate holder should be listed as:
- The city of Roanoke for use of Berglund Center
- 710 Williamson Road NE
- Roanoke, VA 24016
- Final details regarding Insurance Coverage will be included in the signed License Agreement.