So you’re hosting an event with live music.
Hopefully by now, you’ve booked the act, ordered the staging, sound and lighting equipment and begun the marketing operation.
Live music events are some of the most popular and well attended. As we write, hundreds of thousands of people are flocking to a farm in Somerset to enjoy Glastonbury festival.
We’re not suggesting that your event is the same size as Glastonbury, but some of the risks your event faces are the same.
Below, we’ve listed a few considerations you should think about when finalising the planning for your live music event:
Equipment cover
First things first, you need to sort cover for the equipment you’re using.
We’ve seen too many underinsured events make losses despite attracting big audiences. A claim to repair or replace damaged equipment could cost thousands.
Cover is still needed for equipment that is borrowed or hired.
Policies usually cover loss or accidental damage, but can be extended to include theft from unattended vehicles. They don’t cover wear and tear damage, so make sure that equipment is well covered and protected.
Slips and trips risk management
Live music events need meticulous risk management, especially if they’re in a festival-type environment. With so many people in such a small space, you’re creating a recipe for disaster if you don’t have a firm strategy for keeping spaces clean clear of trip and slip hazards.
Think about how you’re planning to keep pathways clear of rogue wires, or how quickly you will clean up spilled drinks etc.
The best plan is to assign ‘sectors’ of your venue to different employees or volunteers and ask them to keep a record of any checks they’ve done of their area.
Workplace deafness claims
The health and safety of your employers is your responsibility, and this includes protection of their ears and hearing.
We saw with the Goldsheider v The Royal Opera House case in 2018 that venues should manage the risk of exposure to prolonged or excessive loud noise and venues not taking their responsibility seriously could find themselves defending against huge claims.
The best defence to this type of claim is prevention rather than reaction. Ensure that you put a strategy for risk management in place, and document it.
It’s also important to make sure that any precautions use implement to protect the health and wellbeing of staff are rules rather than guidelines.
Emergency and escape routes
When there’s live music, there are usually crowds. It’s important, for the sake of safety and your insurance, that you’ve planned routes in and out of crowded areas.
Manage crowds by putting limits on numbers allowed in different zones, and make sure you have eyes and ears on the crowd who can spot the signs of potential emergencies (such as crushing) before they develop.
Event insurance can be complicated. We’ve listed four things to think about here, but there are a hundred more than we haven’t.
If you’re unsure about your event insurance responsibilities at all, fill in our online form today to find out how affordable it can be to get comprehensive cover from the industry experts.
