If you organise conference events, you know the planning precision required to bring everything together successfully for everyone. From a week-long business conference to an afternoon of educational lectures, conference insurance can protect your financial interests and reputation as the conference organiser should the unexpected happen.
What is conference insurance?
Also known as conference liability insurance, this specialist insurance is a collection of covers that protect against the risks faced by conference organisers. From a last-minute need to cancel or postpone to third-party claims for injury or property damage, insurance offers you a financial safety net when loss of earnings or claims for compensation arise.
Do I need conference insurance?
You may pride yourself on having meticulous organisational skills, but even the most perfectly planned conference can become the victim of unforeseen circumstances.
Your keynote speaker could fall sick or a fire or flood at the venue could render it unusable. A member of staff could accidentally damage a participant’s laptop or you could scratch the venue’s paintwork as you bring equipment into the conference room. Your event could be running smoothly, then an attendee trips on a power cable, resulting in an injury claim.
Unless you could personally shoulder the financial consequences of any of these circumstances, insurance for conferences should be a top priority when you’re planning any event.
Types of cover
Conference liability insurance includes a collection of covers that can be tailored to best suit your unique event. These covers include:
- Public liability – which deals with claims for injury and property damage made by members of the public, including conference attendees and any third parties who come into contact with your conference. If you’re hiring a venue, they may only allow the booking if you take out a set level of public liability cover.
- Employers’ liability – a cover that you must hold by law if you hire any staff to work at your conference event. At least £5 million of cover should be taken out, even if you only hire staff for a one-off event.
- Event cancellation – this protects your finances should circumstances outside your control lead to the cancellation, postponement, or abandonment of the conference. You can ask to include loss of revenue with this cover.
- Event equipment – to protect the equipment you bring to your conference venue against accidental damage, theft, or loss. This can be used for equipment you own or have hired.
What isn’t covered by conference insurance?
While it’s good to understand what you can cover with insurance for conferences, it’s also important to know what may not be covered as standard.
You won’t be covered for claims relating to the advice or teaching that attendees receive at your conference. Any conference equipment left unattended or insecurely stored will not be covered, nor will damages arising from the faulty erection of temporary structures like lighting rigs.
If there was no written confirmation of your conference venue hire or key participants bookings, you will not be covered in the event of cancellation, so always make absolutely sure you sign a contract. If you were aware, before taking out insurance, that there was a potential the conference may be cancelled, your policy will be voided in the event of a claim. You cannot claim compensation if the conference is cancelled due to poor attendee numbers.
FAQs
How much does insurance for a conference cost?
The cost of your premium will depend on the type of conference you are holding, the number of attendees expected, the location of the event, the duration of the conference, and the level of coverage you take out.
Can I take out conference insurance for a small event?
Yes. From small groups to large global conferences, you can protect your event with insurance. Discuss your attendee numbers to ensure you are neither under nor over-insured.
When should I take out insurance?
As soon as you start spending time and money on organising a conference, you can protect your investment with conference insurance.
Park Insurance has over three decades of experience tailoring bespoke policies to protect the interests of the UKs entrepreneurs and small businesses. Whether you’re organising a conference as an event planner or to grow your business, our insurance advisors can create a policy that protects your event, your finances, and your reputation. Get in touch today to learn how.