5 Reasons You Should Have Event Insurance When You Host

Hosting or attending an event can be one of the most memorable experiences of your life. It can also be easy to get lost in the details, like when minutiously planning out the event or deciding what to wear to impress your friends and peers.

The aspect of event planning that all hosts hate, however, is preparing for the worst. Nobody expects to show up to a corporate event or a personal get-together and suffer through an accident. If that happens, however, then having an established failsafe can help mitigate the worst effects of the incident.

That means getting special event liability insurance. In this article, we’re going to give you five solid reasons as to why you should consider purchasing insurance for your next event.

What Is Event Liability Insurance?

In short, event liability insurance offers protection when you get accused of causing damage or injury, whether to property or people, due to your negligence as a host. If you are responsible for any degree of accidental damage, then you are liable to be called to court, regardless of who caused it.

An example of a relevant situation would be if a guest steps overexposed wires and brings down thousands of dollars worth of expensive audio equipment, or if the DJ accidentally sets the gazebo on fire with pyrotechnics.

Almost all venues will require you to purchase event liability insurance in order to protect yourself for any damage you or your guests might cause. Even if insurance isn’t outright required, our suggestion would always be to opt for another layer of protection. Disaster might strike, but at least it won’t be a catastrophe.

Event insurance doesn’t just extend over accidents, however. It also covers a handful of unforeseen surprises, such as when one of your vendors backs out an hour before the event starts.

You might be wondering, “What actually causes event accidents?” No worries – we’ve done a bit of research and prepared a quick list of the most common sources for you already.

5 Common Event Accident Causes

Each event is different. A wedding reception is going to play out vastly different from a corporate event. One thing they both have in common, however, is that they are both prone to unforeseen accidents and complications.

Slips, Trips, and Falls

Quite possibly the most common cause of injuries for events. Slips generally occur due to wet or contaminated floors, while tripping happens if the floor is cracked, uneven, or misshapen. Falling is a result of both. This type of injury can be avoided through good maintenance, such as ensuring that all floors are dry and smooth.

Interpersonal Violence

This cause does not frequently come up in events other than weddings or family gatherings. On the other hand, when they do happen, they can quickly turn the gathering sour. If your guests have been involved in fighting and have sustained injuries, then it is you that will be held responsible, which is another good reason to buy insurance.

Electrical Hazards

Typically, an event uses a multitude of electrical equipment. Properly arranging it all can be a nightmare, which is why many hosts leave the wiring an exposed, tangled mess. However, this can quickly lead to a tragedy, and that’s without human interaction, either. For example, you could be affected by a power spike, which could quickly ruin your whole event.

Property Damage

If your guests become too rowdy and accidentally damage any property around the event, then you are held directly responsible. This cause is usually common in social gatherings where alcohol is involved, but even more sophisticated gatherings are at risk. For example, you could host an exquisite corporate event and accidentally break a fanciful and expensive piece of fragile china.

Vendor Cancellation

While this is not an accident per se, special event liability insurance also covers last-minute vendor cancellation. Insurance makes it possible to recover your expenses after paying for services such as photography or catering.

Protect Your Event

It doesn’t matter how interesting your event is going to be if people are going to be walking home with an accident on their minds. Protect yourself and your guests from shock and disappointment by opting for special event liability insurance!