The certificate the venue will not let you in without.
Most people discover event insurance because a hall, a park or a city permit office demanded proof of it. Send us what they asked for and we will match the wording exactly, that is what stops the certificate being rejected.
Get event insurance See what’s coveredPublic liability, host liquor, venue naming and vendor requirements
Weddings, festivals, markets, fundraisers and AGMs
The venue’s insurance requirement, your date and expected numbers
What is event insurance and do I need it?
Event insurance is short-term liability cover for a single occasion, a wedding, a festival, a market stall, a fundraiser or an AGM. It covers injury to guests and damage to the venue. You almost certainly need it if the venue, the city or a park board asks for proof, and their requirement will specify a limit and usually name them as an additional insured.
Without the certificate the venue demands, the event does not happen. And if a guest is injured at an event you organised without cover, the claim follows you personally rather than the occasion.
If alcohol is being served, host liquor liability is a separate question and it is the one most often missed.
Cover for one day, or a season.
Public liability
Injury to a guest or damage to the venue arising from your event.
Host liquor liability
Where alcohol is served or a bar is run. Required by most venues and permit offices.
Venue and additional insureds
Naming the hall, the city, the park board or the property owner exactly as they require.
Equipment and hired-in property
Staging, sound, tents and anything you rent for the day.
Vendors, exhibitors and stalls
Market and festival organisers usually need each vendor to carry their own. We can insure them too.
Multi-date and seasonal
Weekly markets, program series and recurring events are usually cheaper on one arrangement.
What to send us, and when.
Event certificates are routine, but only if we have the right information. Three things do most of it.
The venue’s requirement
Their actual wording, not a summary. It names the limit and who must appear on the certificate.
What is happening
Date, location, expected attendance, whether alcohol is served, and anything physical or unusual.
How long you have
Tell us the deadline when you send it and we will tell you straight away whether it can be met.
A situation we see.
The hall emails four days before the wedding asking for a certificate naming them as additional insured. Without it, the booking is cancelled. With the wording in hand, it takes an afternoon.
This is a small policy. It is also a first meeting.
Most people buying event cover are running something bigger.
The person insuring a market stall often owns the business behind it. The society insuring its gala has a board with no directors’ cover. The couple insuring a wedding will buy a home within two years. We treat the event policy properly because of what it usually sits next to.
And if all you ever need from us is one certificate for one afternoon, that is completely fine.
What organisers ask us.
How much liability cover does a venue usually require?
Two million dollars is the most common figure, with five million on larger public events or city property. The venue’s own wording will state it, so send us that rather than guessing.
Do I need liquor liability for a wedding?
If alcohol is being served, almost certainly yes, and most venues and special-occasion licences require it. It applies whether you are selling drinks or giving them away.
The venue wants to be named on the policy. Is that normal?
Yes. Naming the venue, the city or the park board as an additional insured is standard, and a certificate without it is the most common reason one gets rejected.
Do my vendors need their own insurance?
Usually yes if you are the organiser. Requiring each vendor to carry their own liability, and to name you, is how organisers avoid inheriting everyone else’s risk.
Can I insure a market that runs every weekend?
Yes, and a seasonal or annual arrangement is generally cheaper and far less work than buying cover week by week.
What if the event is cancelled?
Liability cover and cancellation cover are different products. If losing deposits would be serious for you, ask about cancellation specifically rather than assuming it is included.
Catering the event yourself? restaurant insurance.
Large public events often need more than $2M: higher liability limits.
Send us the venue’s requirement.
Their wording, your date, and the deadline. That is usually everything we need.