Event liability
Injury to attendees and damage to the venue during your event.
Business Insurance
Special events insurance for one day.
Most venues will not hand over the keys without a certificate. Event liability is usually bought because somebody asked for it.
Special event insurance provides liability cover for a specific date and location — a wedding, a festival, a fundraiser, a corporate function. It covers injury to attendees and damage to the venue, and it is almost always required by the venue before an event can go ahead.
What the venue is actually asking for
Most venues require general liability at $1 million per occurrence with the venue named as additional insured. Where alcohol is served, they will usually also require host liquor or full liquor liability depending on whether drinks are sold.
Read the contract rather than guessing. Requirements vary, and a certificate with the wrong limit or the wrong named party gets rejected — usually with days to spare rather than weeks.
What it covers
The parts of a special events insurance policy
Additional insured
Naming the venue, and often the landowner or council as well.
Liquor liability
Where alcohol is served or sold, which general liability excludes.
Hired equipment
Marquees, staging, tables and equipment you are responsible for.
Working with us
What we do differently
We are an independent agency, so we place your special events insurance across several carriers rather than fitting you to one company's product. That means a genuine comparison, and someone to call who is not a call centre.
- Get the venue contract before buying — limits and named parties vary
- Confirm whether alcohol is served or sold; the cover differs
- Arrange it early enough that a rejected certificate can be corrected
Common questions
Special Events Insurance, answered
How much event liability do I need?
Venues most commonly require $1 million per occurrence with them named as additional insured. Check the contract, since larger venues and public spaces often ask for more.
Does it cover alcohol at my event?
Only if arranged. Host liquor applies where drinks are provided free; full liquor liability is needed where alcohol is sold. General liability excludes both.
Is my event cancelled if it rains?
Liability cover does not refund your costs if an event is cancelled — that is event cancellation insurance, which is a separate policy.
Related cover
Often arranged alongside this
Event Cancellation Insurance
Liability cover protects you if something happens at your event. Cancellation cover protects you if the event never happens.
Read moreWedding Planner Insurance
A wedding cannot be rescheduled quietly. That makes the stakes on a planning error higher than in almost any other event work.
Read moreLiquor Liability Insurance
If your business sells, serves or furnishes alcohol, your general liability policy specifically excludes what follows. Liquor liability is the policy that fills it.
Read moreReady for a special events insurance quote?
Answer a few questions and one of our agents will come back to you.
Ready for peace of mind?
Let us protect what matters most.