Insure events during preparations for festival season
Commercial insurance
10th May 2010
With the evenings now lighter and the weather improving, festival season has started with a range of celebrations of all types and sizes due to take place across the UK. However, whether organisers are volunteers or paid employees, it is vital they arrange suitable event insurance to cover for any eventualities.
Such festivities can be marred by incidents and the repercussions of these can be severe if adequate insurance has not been procured. Festivals celebrating music, cars, food, flowers, ancient traditions and many other aspects of life require such cover each year and those involved in their planning are advised to contact an experienced broker to ensure their specific needs are met.
Summer weddings can also require event insurance in case something happens to a guest or service provider, while organising policies and carrying out risk assessments for large-scale attractions attended by thousands of people such as Glastonbury or the V Festival can require a great deal of work. Whether events are anticipating big crowds or a handful of individuals, products are available that will provide peace of mind for organisers.
For instance, the requirements for the Camden Crawl music festival, which is taking place on May 1st and 2nd in the London Borough will be substantially different to those for Camp Bestival, which is held at Lulworth Castle in Dorset from July 30th to August 1st.
Examples of things that cover can be obtained for include cancellation, liability insurance in case someone is injured during the festival, protection against the weather spoiling aspects of events and specialist policies for fireworks displays. The demands with regards to insurance will vary widely between events, as a religious festival will have different needs and levels of risk to an amateur sports contest or a crafts fair.
According to Sarah Lyons, group managing director of Giles Insurance Brokers Ltd.: "Events take a great deal of organisation and planning, but insurance is one area that should be given priority, as failure to secure the correct policy could prove disastrous if an incident occurs.
"This could range from stewards or attendees being injured to the weather ruining a carefully planned day. In worst case scenarios, this could result in members of an organising committee or body being held responsible for any accidents that occur, although careful risk assessment will mitigate the chances of these.
"It is therefore advisable for the organiser responsible for arranging insurance for the proposed festival or celebration to speak with an expert to ensure the selected policy meets all the specific requirements at a price that suits.
"This ensures all stewards and organisers can concentrate on having an enjoyable experience safe in the knowledge that they are covered financially to the best of their abilities if something goes wrong."
In operation since 1967, Giles Insurance is one of the UK's leading independent brokers and has specialist teams able to provide advice and information to those planning an event.
