Contents of The Essential Guide to Exhibition Insurance:
-Why is exhibition insurance essential?
-What are the consequences of not being insured?
-Insurance for Exhibition Event Organisers
-Insurance for Exhibitors and Stallholders
-How much does Exhibition Insurance Cost?
Introduction
Over 1000 exhibitions are held across the UK every year. They range from galleries to historical artefacts to 20th century technology to next-generational equipment sold by businesses. These events are often involve hundreds of people, both exhibitors and guests, in an enclosed space – or perhaps outdoors.
Whether it’s a pop-up exhibit on public land, or a private event at a venue – event organisers and exhibitors need to consider event insurance.
It is required by law that event organisers of public events, no matter how small, have insurance in place. It is also highly recommended that insurance is purchased for private events and exhibits. Insurance is there to financially cover you against a wide range of unfortunate eventualities
In this essential guide, Insure Our Event quickly runs readers through the basics of event insurance, what risks to look out for, the financial consequences of a claim, exhibitors vs event organiser insurance, and how much exhibition insurance costs.
Why is exhibition insurance essential?
Trade shows and exhibitions pose and increased risk of theft or damage of the exhibits. Exhibition insurance will cover your for the financial loss, as well as any legal fees or compensation as a result of injury or illness of participants.
Damage or theft of products can happen before during or after the event – it is recommended that insurance is one the first purchases by an event organiser. This is because all further purchases such as venue hire, deposits and catering will be covered thereafter.
If you are leaving purchasing the insurance until last minute, not to worry. All your deposits and liabilities will still be covered as long as they are included when submitting through our flexible quote form.
Legally, event organisers require employers’ liability insurance if you have staff or volunteers working at the event. Public liability insurance is not legally required however it is highly recommended, covering against falls, trips, slips or injuries. The level of public liability for an exhibition needed depends upon the number of guests – more than 100 guest events should require at least £2million to £5million of cover.
What are the consequences of not being insured?
No matter how much risk awareness and prevention you put in place, there is always a chance of an incident which could result in a claim. The consequences of not being insured can result in an astronomically expensive fine and compensation cost, effectively bankrupting your event running business.
Short of facing prison-time for not following your legal obligations as an event organiser, uninsured parties can see tens of hundreds of thousands of pounds in damages and medical expenses. Deposits for venue hire and catering can be lost, and also exhibitors could lose their livelihood following theft or damage to a product or piece of art.
Insurance for Exhibition Event Organisers
Exhibition organisers must have a comprehensive insurance policy in place to protect employees, members of the public and exhibitors. Public liability cover ensures that, if there’s an accident or incident, the exhibition organiser won’t be left footing the bill. You should also consider insurance cover that protects your property and possessions so that if any of your equipment (or equipment you’re hiring) gets lost or damaged you’ll be covered.
A cancellation insurance policy can also protect you against cancellation or disruption. So, if your exhibition can’t go ahead, you’ll be reimbursed for any irrecoverable costs. Many exhibitions are outdoors. Consider adverse weather cover for any unforeseen weather conditions causing postponements or cancellations.
There’s also cover available for unexpected incidents such as terrorism cover or non-appearance (if a key exhibitor or guest speaker cancels last minute). Tailor your insurance to your needs with Insure Our Event’s instant quote form. Whether it’s a temporary one day event or a multi-event, compare your insurance policy cost with us.
Insurance for Exhibitors and Stallholders
At Insure Our Event we also provide insurance for individual stallholders and businesses. Individual exhibitors are responsible for their own space. An exhibition visitor or members of staff at the exhibition are ultimately still just members of the public. If they trip or slip whilst at your stand, you’ll be liable for any injury. Venue owners and event organisers require exhibitors to have proof of liability insurance in place at all times.
Insurance covers that need to be considered by exhibitors include: public liability cover to cover guest incidents, employers’ liability cover to cover staff, equipment covered in the case of accidental loss or damage, and cancellation insurance to cover deposits in case the event is cancelled.
To learn more about insurance for exhibitors an stallholders, for multiple event or one day events, see our Stallholder Insurance guidance. At Insure Our Event, we have a flexible quote form, allowing exhibitors to tailor their insurance to their needs.
How much does Exhibition Insurance Cost?
Our average cost of an exhibitor’s event insurance policy is £35. The cost varies depending on a range of factors. These include:
- Venue size
- Capacity of the venue
- Guests at the event
- Activities at the event
- Outdoor areas
- Location of the event
- Claims history of the organiser or individual
- Value of the exhibits
- Number of selected cover types
As well as other factors which are involved in a comprehensive tailored event insurance policy. Explore our free quote form and review the expected price.
