Conference insurance

Conference insurance is the term for a range of cover types designed for organisers of conferences to provide contingency if something goes wrong. From helping to provide protection against risks outside of your control that may cause expenses incurred by cancellation or postponement, to defending allegations of injury or negligence, conference insurance is designed to cover certain eventualities which may cause a reputational or financial hit to your business.

If you’re responsible for the smooth planning and organising of a conference event – whether it’s a weekend of events at an international exhibition centre or simply a business breakfast – conference insurance is there to help protect against the potential costs of the unforeseen.

A case of personal property damage or injury to a delegate whilst on the conference premises could result in a claim against your business, as could the sudden forced cancellation of an event if a sizable number of attendees has spent heavily on travel and accommodation. If you’d struggle to cover these unexpected costs in scenarios like these, insurance could help to protect your outgoings from spiralling.

Taking out conference insurance in advance of your next event can help give you peace of mind you’ll be protected should any unforeseen circumstances disrupt your conference. Typically, the earlier you buy insurance, the better, as you’ll be covered earlier in the planning process.

With the insurance in place, and more time to prepare, you can ensure that the event goes as planned for the benefit of all the expected attendees and guests.

The amount of cover you’ll need will vary depending on several factors such as:

• Size of the venue
• Number of expected guests and attendees
• Arrangements in place for special guests
• Duration of event in hours and/or days.

With our range of insurances you can build your own cover according to your needs, which can include cancellation and disruption, property cover and events liability insurance.

Cancellation and disruption

Despite circumstances that lead to an event’s cancellation potentially being out of your hands, your company could be liable for the costs of a claim brought by a third-party.

Key features include:

• Cancellation, abandonment, curtailment, or rearrangement including to another time or place
• Cover available on a full revenue or expenses-only basis
• Terrorism extensions available
• National mourning cover where the death or funeral occurs in that country and coincides with the dates of the event (persons under 70).

You can also choose to add the following options:

• Adverse weather cover (for events outdoors, or in temporary structures or marquees)
• Enforced educed attendance
• Non-appearance (key featured persons)
• National mourning (beyond the standard cover).

Property cover

This type of cover protects a wide variety of property used during a conference. It can include anything from furniture to audio-visual equipment and marquees, and even money.

Key features include:

• Property owned, borrowed or hired for the event
• Transit to, from, and while at the event (including loading and unloading)
• Continuing hire charges cover for hired equipment.

Events liability insurance

This protects you from claims brought by attendees and venue operators for personal injury or damage to belongings and property.

Key features include:

• Public liability cover up to £10 million (or other currency equivalents)
• Employers’ liability up to £10 million (or other currency equivalents)
• Indemnity to directors and employees
• Liability for damage to venues
• Indemnity to venue owners or operators
• Damage to third party property.