Public liability insurance

In case someone is injured or their property gets damaged, because of your events business.

What’s typically covered by public liability insurance for events organisers?

Claims against your business for:

• damage to someone’s property, because of your work
• an injury caused by your business activities
• accidental damage or injury caused by your employee, if you have one

If you do employ anyone, you’re usually required by law to have employers’ liability insurance too.

For example:

• while setting up an event, a member of staff trips over a cable you’ve just plugged in
• you accidentally knock an expensive vase off a side table, when visiting your client’s home

What you’ll need additional cover for

• cover for the event itself, including cancellations and risks to your attendees – you’ll need specialist event insurance for this

Read more about public liability insurance

Employers’ liability insurance

In case something happens to an employee while they’re working for your events business.

What’s typically covered by employers’ liability insurance?

Claims against your business for:

• an employee suing because they get injured or fall ill as a result of working for you (including temps and casual workers)

**Employers’ liability insurance is required by law if you have people working for you. Without it, you could be fined up to £2,500 a day for each employee.**

For example:

• your employee injures their back while carrying heavy boxes from a lorry to the event setup
• an assistant trips over some cables you’ve laid for an event and breaks their ankle

Professional indemnity insurance

In case you’ve made a mistake or your events business hasn’t met the expected standards.

What’s typically covered by professional indemnity insurance for an event organiser?

Claims against your business for professional negligence or breach of contract which causes your client a financial loss, including:

• advice you’ve given which turns out to be incorrect
• errors in your work which cost your client money

For example:

• your pre-event planning has committed the project to a specific budget, but costs have overrun, causing the client a financial loss
• you recommend a supplier to your client but the contract falls through at the last minute, costing your client money

Read more about professional indemnity insurance

Business and office equipment insurance

In case something happens to equipment like your laptop.

What’s typically covered by business and office equipment insurance?

• theft of the equipment you use to run your business (operational equipment, not tools of the trade)
• accidental loss of your equipment
• flood, fire or accidental damage

For example:

• your AV equipment is stolen from your business premises during a break-in
• a guest speaker spills a drink over your laptop during a planning meeting, causing water damage

Read more about business and office equipment insurance

Legal expenses insurance

In case you’re faced with legal costs from running your business.

What’s typically covered by legal expenses insurance?

• legal costs associated with day-to-day operations, like an employee dispute
• property damage, nuisance or trespass and associated legal costs
• HMRC, tax and compliance issues, if they come up
• includes a tax advice helpline, a 24/7 confidential legal helpline and crisis PR support to help you protect your reputation, as a professional event organiser

For example:

• you’re selected at random for investigation by HMRC. A few enquiries come up for the business, as well as a personal enquiry for you and a director
• an employee makes a claim against you for unfair dismissal, and you need to defend your legal rights

Read more about legal expenses insurance

Personal accident insurance

In case anyone you’ve covered is accidentally injured, at or outside of work.

What’s typically covered by personal accident insurance?

• injury or death of anyone you’ve chosen to cover in your policy – whether this happens at work or elsewhere
• lost income, hospital bills or other medical costs associated with the accident

For example:

• while handing out delegate packs, you trip and break your ankle, forcing you to take time off work
• your assistant, who you’ve covered in your policy, shuts their hand in the car door, breaking a finger

Read more about personal accident insurance

Which type of workers do I need insurance for?

Employers’ liability insurance is a legal requirement if you employ people.

If you have people working for you, including bona fide subcontractors (BFSC), labour-only subcontractors (LOSC), part-timers, or full-time staff, employers’ liability insurance is required by law.

Read on for our simplified guide to the difference between labour-only subcontractors and bona fide subcontractors.

Does event organiser insurance cover my work correctly?

Make sure you’re picking the right cover to protect you properly. It’s important to know that if you have another trade or job, you’ll need additional cover. For example, do you need to consider public liability insurance for events or exhibition designer?

Do I need cover for other types of work?

If you provide other services, make sure you’re covered:

• Entertainment company insurance
• Dj insurance
• Performers insurance
• Face painting insurance
• Band public liability insurance
• Art gallery insurance
• Entertainers’ insurance
• Museum insurance
• Photographers’ insurance
• Wedding planner insurance

Other types of insurance

• Limited company insurance
• Self-employed insurance
• Freelance insurance
• Consultant insurance

Which public liability cover limit should I choose?

Think about the maximum possible loss your business could face in the event of a claim, and make sure you take legal fees and damages into consideration. You can choose from three levels of coverage – £1 million, £2 million, or up to £5 million.