Special Event Insurance

What does Special Event Insurance Cost?

Most events can get coverage for under or around $400. There are a number of factors that will both increase and decrease this number:

• Event gross revenue.
• Type of organization (or private party) hosting event.
• Years in operation (if being hosted by an organization or business).
• Years of experience of the current owner (if being hosted by an organization or business).
• Prior claims (going back four years usually).
• Number of attendees (per day and per event).
• Number of volunteers.
• Admission fees, liquor sales, food sales and merchandise sales.
• Security at the venue.
• First aid at the venue.
• Entertainment at the venue, such as amusement rides, animal rides or fireworks.

The best first step is to contact The Insurance Shop. We will set you up with a personal shopping assistant (aka an insurance agent) who will learn all the details of your event from top to bottom to help you determine your exposures. Your agent will help you prioritize coverages and determine how much you need and want before shopping all of our carriers for the best rate.

What are Common Special Event Claims?

If you are looking for how to file a claim, please visit our Client Services.

Very commonly events are canceled or postponed due to inclement weather. Even if your event is being held indoors you may need rain-date coverage. In the event a road or venue becomes flooded or any other uncontrollable consequence of weather, your event may be canceled or postponed. Note that not all weather event are covered by rain-date coverage. Your agent at The Insurance Shop will always assure you know what is and is not covered.

Also, very common, venues fall through! Whether the venue was booked prior to a remodel and the remodel wasn’t completed on time or the venue had a power failure and all the food and ice melted the night before your event, you’ll be glad you were covered with rain-date and/or cancellation coverage.

The most common claims filed for special events are from third-parties. Slip and falls, stolen property and damaged property make up the majority of these claims. If someone steals your hired photographer’s camera and case, along with all your event photos, you will be responsible to your photographer. If one of your attendees decides to move a heavy chair and creates marks on the floor, you will be responsible to the owner of the property. Having photographs/video coverage and liability coverage will cover both of these scenarios.

How Can I Reduce My Risk?

Reducing your liability risk at your special event can be challenging or very simple, based on your venue and the demographic of attendees. Here are some general tips to think about when writing a safety plan for your event:

• Write a safety plan! No matter how small your event, having a written policy for you, anyone working or volunteering, subcontractors and even for attendees will reduce your risks and may even decrease your premium, if given to the insurance agent.
• Outline policies and procedures your event will follow. Make detailed procedures for any scenario that could be relevant to your event. For example, what to do if an attendee gets injured, how to recognize an intoxicated attendee and what to do if there is a lost child. You should also write out policies you want everyone to follow, such as when to stop serving alcohol to attendees showing signs of intoxication or steps to follow when there is a spill (wet floor signs can save you money!).
• Think about demographics. Who is attending? Will there be alcohol and people under 21 years of age present? Will there be small children? Seniors? Each demographic has special needs, small children tend to run away or grab things that are not attached, for example.
• Plan out alternative routes, dates and venues. You never know what may happen in regards to roads, weather or local news that could have you scrambling to find a new venue or tell all 1,000 guests that the event is rescheduled. Having this information all figured out ahead of time, even printing a rain date and time on the invitation if you think it is likely, will save a lot of time and effort. Also, make sure you have a way to communicate with your attendees. Whether you have a list of names or a following on social media, make sure they know where you will post updates to your event, so you don’t have to contact people individually.
• Post publicly where appropriate. Wherever possible post warning signs and policies for attendees. If there is an entrance that is staying wet from traffic, put a wet floor sign. If there is a petting zoo for children, post clear rules for how they are allowed to interact with animals. If there are expensive furnishings in your venue, it may be appropriate to indicate permitted food and drink areas.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. I’ve heard this called a few things, is one way correct?

Event liability insurance, commercial general liability coverage, special event liability coverage or short-term liability coverage are all correct terms that can be used interchangeably.

2. What about the workers at my event? Volunteer or paid?

Special event insurance will only ever cover third-parties and the insured. If you are have paid employees or volunteers just for your event you will need to purchase workers compensation insurance.

3. What if someone from my event makes a claim the next day after the event has ended?

Depending on the carrier, there can be 24 to 48 hours added as padding to the event date to include incidents occurring during set-up and break-down, as well as to accommodate any delayed-report claims. Make sure you understand the terms of your policy before binding, you may be able to add more padding to your event.