Event insurance

Event insurance is a collection of cover types built into a specialist policy designed to safeguard the event or multi-event series you’ve organised against a range of risks.

Cover for an event can bring together a selection of products suited to the specific needs of the events market. Our insurance policies can be built to the individual requirements of each event organiser.

We can tailor your event policy to provide financial protection from risks such as a guest becoming injured by a falling roller banner or your mobile communication system being damaged, for instance. Cover for kit can help with repairs or replacements, while public liability insurance assists with legal costs, expenses and resulting compensation.

No matter the situation – whether it’s a deviation from the pre-planned programme or an injury at your event – insurance offers the cover to put your mind at rest, so you can focus on planning your event.

No matter the scale of your event, you may still feel you need insurance to cover you for potential injuries, damage or unforeseen cancellation.

Even if your venue and suppliers have cover, it could prove costly to rely on the insurance of others. You may find a claim could be made against you as the event organiser – without cover you may have to pay defence and settlement costs yourself.

Due to the multifaceted nature of events, there are numerous associated risks. Flooding could prevent you reaching the event with crucial equipment which could cause postponement, relocation or abandonment. Alternatively, an accident could result in a guest filing a liability claim, or you might need to fund expensive tech kit replacements after irreparable water damage.

Whether you need short period cover to meet the requirements of individual events, or an annual policy, insurance can provide welcome back up.

You might be a charity arranging a special one-off event, the organiser of a local craft fair or the host of a global conference. No matter the size of what you’re planning, Hiscox can safeguard both large scale exhibitions and small fundraisers.

If you’re planning an event, we can help you to build insurance to cover the particulars of your programme.

No two businesses or events are exactly the same – that’s why we help you to tailor insurance based on the different types of cover you may need for your event.

We tailor two forms of insurance policies for events – short period liability cover for individual events or a multi-event series and annual policies for businesses.

Insurance for your event

Conference insurance

Your event may need to be cancelled or postponed for many reasons from failure of utilities, fire, flood at the venue to terrorism or any number of circumstances beyond your control - this can result in expense that cannot be recovered or loss of profit. A liability claim could be brought against you if something goes wrong at a conference you’ve organised, injury to a delegate or damage to the venue. Many venues may even require an event organiser to hold public liability insurance before engaging in a contract to safeguard their position.

Learn more about conference insurance

Exhibition insurance

Exhibitions can range from a global event to a small, local trade fair – no matter the size, insurance can help with unexpected occurrences. Whether there is a fire at the venue or crucial items are damaged during unloading, cover can be the difference between making a profit and making a loss.

Learn more about exhibition insurance

Exhibitor insurance

As an exhibitor you’ll no doubt invest significant time and money to ensure you make your products stand out from the crowd. Whether something falls from your stand, injuring an event guest, or the venue cancels at the last minute, insurance may help ensure your investment isn’t lost and you’re covered for liabilities.

Learn more about exhibitor insurance

Special event insurance

If you’re the organiser of a one-time music festival, comedy event or a small fete you might be considering insurance to cover cancellation, disruption, property damage, and liabilities. Even the best laid plans can go awry. If you’re holding a special event (excluding weddings and/or private parties), we can help you build the cover to meet your needs.

Learn more about special event insurance

Public liability insurance for events

As an event organiser, you may find that many venues require organisers to hold public liability insurance within their terms of hire. You could face legal claims for accidental injury to attendees or for damage to the venue or a delegate’s property that you may find comfort in being protected from.

Learn more about public liability insurance for events

Charity events

Fundraising events are a large part of the work charities do – and each charity operates in a different way, so tailored cover could prove helpful. Charity event insurance covers a range of fundraising events, from the small and local, to the huge and international - helping ensure your organisation has protection in place.

Learn more about charity event insurance
 

Insurance for your business

Professional indemnity for event organisers

While organising events, you liaise with many different parties, including sub-contractors and self-employed freelancers. If your clients or any third parties say there were problems with your work on the event, you breached a contract, gave incorrect advice or you infringed intellectual property rights, professional indemnity insurance can step in.

Learn more about professional indemnity insurance for event organisers

Public liability for event organisers

The nature of events means members of the public will be attending and engaging with the occasion you have organised. Public liability insurance for event organisers can offer protection against legal liability for the risks associated with this and can cover accidental injury or damage to an attendee’s property.

Learn more about public liability insurance for event organisers

Employers’ liability for event organisers

Organising an event often involves bringing in staff, whether it’s for a corporate conference, or a Christmas fair. Your staff might be temporary or employed by your business, either way, it may be a legal requirement (external link) to have employers’ liability insurance. This covers legal liability for injury or illness sustained during their work for you.

Learn more about employers’ liability insurance for event organisers

Property for event organisers’ place of work

You might be holding your event from premises you own – if so, insurance for the commercial property, which includes cover for the contents is an important consideration. If you rent the premises, you may benefit from business contents cover – and don’t forget if you need to take equipment out, it may not be covered without portable kit insurance.

Learn more about property insurance for event organisers

Cyber and data insurance for event organisers

Working on an event means communicating with numerous vendors and stakeholders digitally – insurance can help mitigate the cyber risk that comes with this requirement. You might fall victim to a phishing scam, or you could accidentally share data with the wrong client. Cyber cover can help you recover from these incidents.

Learn more about cyber and data insurance for event organisers

Legal protection for event organisers

It’s possible not every event you organise will run smoothly. You may suffer an employment dispute or find you have issues with a contract. Through the course of your work there will be disagreements and misunderstandings, so legal protection insurance can help cover the expenses facing an event organiser if a case goes to court.

Learn more about legal protection insurance for event organisers

With over 30 years’ experience of providing event insurance for all types of conferences, exhibitions and businesses, sports, charity and community events, Hiscox is an insurer you can trust.

To ensure our insurance experts have a comprehensive understanding of the problems event organisers can face, we are members of leading event industry associations. This includes:

• AEO
• ABPCO
• IAPCO
• MIA

Whether in the UK, or internationally, we’ve provided cover for diverse events of all sizes. This experience has allowed us to tailor policies specifically for the circumstances – we can build insurance cover for a multi-event series under one policy to save you both time and money.