What insurance do I need for an event?

Almost every event needs public liability insurance, because venues, councils and landowners ask for evidence of it before granting access, usually at a minimum limit of 5 million pounds. If you have staff, stewards or volunteers working under your direction you also need employers liability, which is a legal requirement for employers. Cancellation cover protects deposits and fees lost if the event cannot go ahead, and equipment cover protects hired or owned kit.

What is event organiser insurance?

Insurance for the person or business running an event rather than the venue. The core is public liability for injury or damage to attendees, suppliers and the public; around it sit employers liability for staff and volunteers, cancellation cover for unrecoverable deposits and fees, and equipment cover. It can be bought for one event or annually. The venue policy protects the venue, not the organiser.

Do event organisers legally need professional indemnity insurance?

No. Professional indemnity is not a legal requirement for event organisers in the UK; the only compulsory cover is employers liability if you have staff. It matters when you are paid to plan an event for a client, because the client can claim for a mistake in that service, and corporate clients often require it in the contract. Public liability covers injury and damage; professional indemnity covers the client financial loss.

What does event cancellation insurance cover?

It repays costs already spent or committed that cannot be recovered if the event is cancelled, postponed, curtailed or abandoned for a reason outside your control, such as severe weather, loss of the venue or, with the extension, non-appearance of a key performer. It does not cover poor ticket sales, a change of mind, or causes known when the policy was bought, and communicable disease is excluded or limited on most wordings.

What does event insurance cover?

A typical event insurance policy covers public liability, employers liability for staff and volunteers, cancellation, postponement and abandonment costs where the cause is outside your control, and loss of or damage to equipment, marquees, stock and property at the event. Optional extensions include non-appearance of a key performer, adverse weather and money on site. Most policies exclude cancellation caused by poor ticket sales, and communicable disease cover is limited or excluded on most wordings.

Can I get event insurance for a one-day event?

Yes. Single event policies are written for one date, or a short run of consecutive days including set-up and take-down, and are the most common form of event cover for weddings, fetes, launches, fundraisers and one-off concerts. You provide the date, venue, expected attendance and planned activities, and the policy is rated on those details. Organisers running several events a year usually do better with an annual multi-event policy.

What does single event public liability insurance cover?

It covers your legal liability as the organiser if a member of the public is injured or their property is damaged because of the event, together with the legal costs of defending a claim, usually including set-up and take-down. It does not cover injuries to your own staff or volunteers, which is employers liability, and it does not cover the separate activities of stallholders, caterers or performers, who need their own public liability insurance. Venues typically ask for a limit of 5 million pounds and some require 10 million.

Is event insurance a legal requirement in the UK?

Public liability insurance for an event is not required by statute, but employers liability is a legal requirement as soon as anyone works for you under your control, paid or unpaid. In practice public liability is unavoidable because venues, local authorities issuing licences and landowners make it a condition of access.

How much does event insurance cost?

It depends on the event. Insurers rate on expected attendance, the type of event and activities, whether it is indoors or outdoors, its duration, the value of costs protected under cancellation cover, the equipment insured, and claims history and risk management. A small indoor community event with liability only sits at one end of the range and a multi-day outdoor festival with cancellation cover at the other.

Event Insurance: A Complete Guide for UK Event Organisers

Event insurance, usually sold as event organiser insurance, combines public liability (which venues almost always require), employers liability for staff and volunteers, cancellation cover and equipment cover, for a single day or as an annual policy. This guide explains what is covered and how to arrange it.

Cover is subject to underwriting, insurer terms and acceptance. Policy limits and exclusions apply.