Event Insurance in Massachusetts

What is Event Insurance?

When planning a special event, there are many details to see to. One that people sometimes neglect and overlook is getting proper insurance. Massachusetts residents & businesses who host special events are frequently exposed to risks that their normal insurance policies may not provide coverage for.

Event insurance is a unique type of insurance that’s designed to help protect people, businesses, and organizations that put on special events. They may be used to help provide coverage for weddings, birthday parties, fundraisers, balls, sports competitions, parades and almost any other type of special event.

WHO IN MASSACHUSETTS SHOULD CONSIDER GETTING EVENT LIABILITY INSURANCE?

Any resident, business, or group that’s putting on a special event in Massachusetts should consider getting an event liability policy. Even small events may expose hosts to risks that they aren’t normally exposed to -- and aren’t insured against.

At the very least, there’s little reason not to ask an insurance agent about event insurance. It only takes a few minutes. If a host is already insured, they’ve lost little. If they aren’t properly insured for their event, getting a policy could save them from financial ruin if there’s an incident during their event.

WHAT COVERAGES DO EVENT LIABILITY INSURANCE POLICIES PROVIDE?

Most of the coverages that event policies provide are liability coverages, which is why these policies are sometimes referred to as “event liability insurance policies.”

Because event policies are used for a wide array of events, policies can include many different liability coverages. Some common coverages that many hosts may want include:

General Premises Liability Coverage
Automobile Liability Coverage
Spectator Liability Coverage
Product Liability Coverage
Liability for Rented or Loaned Property Coverage
Liquor Liability Coverage

A few less common coverages that hosts of certain events may want are:

Animal Liability Coverage
Aircraft Liability Coverage
Medical Malpractice Coverage (if there’s a first aid station)

What coverages a host should look for in a policy will depend on the specifics of their event.

IS EVENT LIABILITY INSURANCE EXPENSIVE?

Most event liability insurance policies last only a few days, and sometimes they’re written to provide coverage for just one day. They normally only need to be in effect during an event, after all.

By limiting an event liability policy to just a few days, insurers are usually able to keep coverage very affordable. Often, it costs just a small fraction of what an event costs to put on.

DO EVENT POLICIES INCLUDE PROPERTY COVERAGES?

While event policies may include a few property coverages, they don’t typically have as many property coverages as liability coverages.

In many cases, hosts may not need a ton of additional property coverages. Hosts usually either already own the property and equipment they’re using for the event, or they rent it. If they already own the property and equipment, it should already be insured against fire, theft, and similar perils (obviously, it is important to check your policy to know what exactly is already covered). If they rent the equipment, they probably should get liability coverage in case they damage the property or equipment -- but they don’t normally need property coverage.

If a host does need property coverage for a particular reason, they may be able to purchase an add-on coverage that supplements an event policy’s liability coverages. If the property coverage they want isn’t available as an optional coverage, they might have to get a separate, stand-alone property coverage.

How Can People and Organizations in Massachusetts Get Event Liability Policies?

People, businesses, and organizations in Massachusetts that would like to learn more about event insurance should contact an independent insurance agent who has experienced insuring events and they should be able to make the process as easy and fast as possible.