Cover your event: smart insurance for a new era of experiences

Gone are the days when a music festival was a few bands, a stage and a food truck in a field. Now, you can expect multi-stage setups and micro-fairs at the very least.

It’s not just adults’ events that have gotten more multi-faceted, either. Children’s events have followed a similar trajectory, with interactive tech and immersive installations like AR scavenger hunts increasingly becoming the norm.

With the nature of public events changing, there’s a new bar for entertainment – for adults and children. But is your client’s insurance up to speed? An event that encourages more participation may also increase the likelihood of accidents or injuries, while a greater investment in an event by way of complex productions means your clients are at a greater chance of financial loss should the event be cancelled.

Events are great, but they’re not all fun and games. Here are our top tips for insuring festivals, fetes and other events in light of the changing nature of entertainment.

1. Disclose all activities

You’re only covered for the activities you’ve told your insurer about. That’s why it’s so important to disclose all activities that will be taking place, even if it’s a supposedly straightforward event. If anything was to happen, like an accident or injury, and the activity wasn’t disclosed, the policy is at risk of being voided and not covering the incident.

2. Complex events need complex cover

It’s tempting to procure a general, one-size-fits-all policy for insuring events – simply to save time and hassle – but the truth is that there’s no such thing. Particularly if the event is interactive, utilises tech, or is large scale, Geo can provide specialist cover that takes into account the unique risks of each event.

3. Don’t leave anyone out

An event is made up of many different categories of people, particularly the more complex it is. There are more than just the attendants – but also volunteers, vendors, performers, contractors, and more. It’s important that every group of people due to attend the event is factored into the policy, so that they’re covered should an incident happen.

4. Plan for the unexpected

The nature of event planning is knowing that, for whatever reason, sometimes the event can’t go ahead. Whether it’s due to poor weather, supply chain issues, key act cancellations or something else, don’t let the unexpected rain on your client’s parade. Cancellation and contingency insurance are vital for ensuring client’s finances don’t take too big a hit if the event can’t go ahead, with some policies even offering non-appearance cover for key speakers and performers.

5. Work with a specialist underwriter

At Geo, we know that events are a changing market, and insurance shouldn’t get left behind. We make it as easy as possible for you to secure precisely the specialist cover you require for your client’s event with our portal, designed to fetch you a quick and easy quote no matter how complex the event.