What is Public Liability Insurance for Events?
Public liability insurance policies for events cover the policyholder against accidental damage or injury caused to property or member of the public, including loss or death, that occurs during a specified event.
Having the ability to hold large public events is a profitable proposition for many businesses, but it also comes with additional risk. Being in a venue or location that the public attends can expose your business to all sorts of potential liability from accidents or incidents that can happen during the event.
As a business, you will need to protect yourself from financial complications that could come from negligence claims. If you are proven to be responsible in any way, large sums of money may be demanded in compensation. To guard against these types of claims, event public liability insurance is designed to provide cover in the event of any accidents or losses.
If you or your company are organising an event, then public liability event insurance will be required. This type of insurance is temporary in the sense that it offers protection for a specified period of time to cover the duration of an event. In addition, if a legal claim arises as a result of an incident at your event, this insurance will guard against legal fees and compensation settlements.
While it is a policy in place for a fixed period, it is important to assess the level of cover needed for your event. Having the correct amount of coverage in place is necessary to protect your business adequately from liability.
What does public liability for events cover?
Public liability insurance covers loss of property or damage for people attending your event, including customers and clients. It does not provide any cover for your employees that are working at the event. Publicly attended events can give rise to all kinds of issues or incidents, and any that result from negligence can trigger hefty claims made against your business.
For larger venues like stadiums, concert halls or arenas, public liability event insurance may be required before you are allowed to operate in the location. Venue owners want to be assured that they are covered for things like any damage caused to their property and may demand proof of coverage.
The sort of incidents involving members of the public that are covered by public liability events insurance include:
- Damage to property
- Injury
- Loss of property
- Death
As any number of incidents can occur at public gatherings, claims could arise from things like a member of the public tripping over a cable resulting in injury or food poisoning caused by undercooked meat served at a vendor’s stand. Damage to property due to negligence is a common claim at publicly attended events. Your public liability events insurance will protect against claims of this nature.
What kind of events need public liability insurance?
To ensure adequate cover, any event that is attended by the public will need public liability event insurance. There is always a risk that a member of the public could experience an accident or incident at these kinds of gatherings. Big events that have a large number of attendees may require higher levels of insurance coverage to provide the necessary protection from legal claims.
Any type of event can pose a risk to the general public. Even weddings, school fairs or organised parties might need to invest in a public liability policy for the day to ensure appropriate coverage while proceedings are taking place.
Examples of events that may require public liability insurance include:
- Concerts
- Theatre and musical events
- Festivals and fairs
- Weddings and other celebratory events
- Company meetings held off-site
- Conferences and exhibitions
- Sports and gaming events
- Parties
- Pet shows
How to get public liability insurance for an event
There are many providers of public liability insurance for events, with some policies available for online purchase. Obtaining your policy can be as simple as supplying your details online and requesting a quote. A policy can then be purchased immediately online.
Alternatively, you may be able to obtain a policy from your current insurance provider as an addition to your existing liability insurance. For example, if your business holds events that recur regularly, it may be possible to obtain a multi-event policy that provides cover for all of them.
It could be advisable to speak to an insurance specialist as details like event size, location, number of attendees, and coverage limits will need to be considered. In addition, many policies offer optional add-ons for things like equipment cover and event cancellation or postponement.
Coverage is typically flexible, with policies available for all event sizes. For example, large event premiums can be expensive owing to the level of cover required, but smaller and more local events will need much smaller policy limits and should be, therefore, relatively affordable.
Research sources:
- https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/blog/event-insurance-explained-ds00/
- https://www.nimblefins.co.uk/business-insurance/public-liability-insurance-uk/events
- https://www.westsussex.gov.uk/media/9579/how_to_understand_public_liability_insurance.pdf