Event insurance FAQs

No, with Hiscox event insurance, you cannot insure against lack of attendance, ticket sales or interest. This isn’t covered by a policy with us as it would be considered a trading risk.

Yes, cover is generally available if people are prevented from attending due to issues with something identifiable such as transport problems. This applies if your event can show an established pattern of previous gate receipts against which a loss can be measured, for instance.

Yes, you may be able to get insurance for your event policy that covers bad, or adverse weather.

Standard insurance can cover indoor events, not held in temporary structures, for cancellation or disruption due to bad weather.

An example of this in practice is if flooding prevents you, as the organiser, from getting equipment to the event and this means the event cannot go ahead.

If the event is outdoors or in a temporary structure, then cover is generally available, however the premiums are usually higher.

The cover available and the cost will vary according to factors including where the event is and the time of year. Ground conditions and the nature of the event are also relevant.

Other things to note with insurance for adverse weather:

• It isn’t usually possible to buy cover for adverse weather for an outdoor event less than 14 days prior
• Long range forecasts make it possible to know that bad weather is on the way – therefore this is a known risk and cannot be insured.

Hiscox insurance can cover event disruption – so if your occasion goes ahead but is disrupted in such a way to cause financial loss, your policy could account for this.

Our event insurance covers significant deviations from the pre-planned programme – this includes cancellation, postponement, relocation and abandonment.

Yes, we can cover event cancellation due to terrorism as an additional cover within our insurance policies – although what we provide may depend on where you are based and where the event is taking place.

This cover can protect income or expenses as the result of an act of terrorism that leads to unavoidable cancellation, abandonment, postponement or curtailment of an event.

Please note that we do not cover fear of terrorism, or disinclination to attend an event due to a terrorist act.

We aren’t able to insure against fear of terrorism as fear itself is impossible to define. As fear can mean different things to different people, it makes it an intangible risk, which means it isn’t possible to cover with insurance.

We can usually include insurance cover for a threat of terrorism which causes disruption to your event, provided this is confirmed in writing by the local police or security services. This can be purchased as an add-on to our standard cover. 

We understand the diverse nature of the events industry, so we can provide insurance for almost any equipment you require at your event.

Whether it’s mobile communication kit or a marquee, our team will be able to confirm if the property required at your event can be covered by your event insurance policy.

Yes, property cover within the Hiscox event insurance portfolio ensures that the equipment you hire is insured against loss, theft or damage. Whether something becomes accidentally damaged, lost in the activity of your event, or stolen, we can help protect you against the expense of replacements.

When you hire equipment for an event, you will enter into an agreement with the supplier – therefore you’ll need to check insurance terms with them.

Hire agreements and terms vary, with or without an operator, so it is important to factor these considerations in to your insurance arrangements.  

You can arrange cover for your event in minutes using our online portal. It is available 24/7 and you can manage your cover online too should you need to make any changes.

When it comes to arranging cover, we would always encourage event organisers to arrange insurance as early as possible. If you leave it too late it might not be possible to arrange cover at short notice.

Another reason for taking out cover at the earliest opportunity is that all circumstances that exist at the time the policy is taken out are excluded. Therefore, the later the insurance purchase is left, the more likely that a cause of event disruption will be excluded.

It’s also not usually possible to get insurance for adverse weather less than 14 days prior to the start of the event set up.

The amount you can insure will usually be based on pre-booked revenue only as sums expected to be raised at the event may be uncertain and not always insurable.

You can insure revenue from ticket sales and sponsorship as these can easily be proven if the event is cancelled.

The exception would be an event which has been staged for many years for the same charitable cause, at the same time of year, at the same venue, with the same type of guests.

Here you would be able to demonstrate a track record of "on the night fund raising" and underwriters might consider cover for a proportion of this. Our team will be able to discuss whether funds raised can be covered for your particular event.

While we have tried to reduce restrictions and exclusions to a minimum, there are four basic reasons for these in insurance policies. These are:

• Risks requiring special underwriting (e.g. non-appearance of key featured persons, adverse weather)
• Risks that would be against public policy to insure (e.g. deliberate damage smuggling or counterfeiting)
• Trading risks (e.g. lack of attendance)
• Risks covered in other types of insurance (e.g. financial failure of suppliers).

If you need more information about what is and isn’t included for the type of cover you’re looking for, our team will be able to help.

While they are all types of commercial cover, there is a difference between employers’ liability insurance, public liability and professional indemnity insurance:

• Employers' liability insurance covers legal liability for injury or disease sustained by an employee in the course of their duties. Most businesses are obliged to have this cover by law (external link) – even if you only employ temporary staff.
• Public liability insurance covers you against legal liability for accidental injury to other people (other than employees) or damage to other people’s property.
• Professional indemnity insurance covers legal liability for financial loss sustained by another party (usually a customer) as a result of some error, omission or failure in the advice given. It can also cover defamation, breach of copyright, or breach of confidentiality.

Sum insured refers to the maximum sum that the underwriters will pay in relation to any one claim made on the insurance policy. Different elements of cover will have their own sum insured amount, this information can be found on your policy schedule.