Event and Contingency Insurance for organisers and venues
Protection for the money committed to an event before a single ticket is scanned, and for the people who attend. Compare cancellation, non-appearance and event liability cover through brokers who place festivals, conferences and live shows.
- Cancellation and abandonment for costs already spent
- Non-appearance of headline acts and key speakers
- Event liability for crowds, crew and contractors
Reviewed October 2026 by the MyBusinessComparison.com editorial team
What is event and contingency insurance?
Event and contingency insurance protects an organiser against the financial loss when an event is cancelled, postponed, abandoned or curtailed for reasons outside their control. It typically repays irrecoverable costs or lost net revenue, and is usually bought alongside event liability cover for injury or damage to attendees, contractors and venues.
It differs from the year-round cover in leisure and entertainment insurance, which protects a venue's buildings, staff and trading. Event cover is tied to specific dates or a declared programme and is built around the budget for each event.
Professional organisers often hold an annual policy that lists every event in the season, while venues buy it for their own promoted shows. Policies are agreed before tickets go on sale or costs are committed, and cannot be added once a problem is foreseeable.
Event and contingency insurance at a glance
- Suits
- Festival and concert promoters, conference organisers, agencies and venues
- Main sections
- Cancellation, abandonment, non-appearance, adverse weather and event liability
- Pays on
- Irrecoverable costs, or lost net revenue where agreed
- Arranged as
- Single events or an annual programme
- Rated on
- Budget, location, indoor or outdoor, attendance and key people
- Usually excluded
- Poor ticket sales and communicable disease
What does event and contingency insurance cover?
Organisers pick the sections that match the event and the contracts behind it. These are the ones most professional events consider.
Cancellation and postponement
Costs you cannot recover if the event is called off or moved for an insured reason, such as damage to the venue, travel disruption or the death of a key person.
Abandonment and curtailment
An event that starts but has to stop early, for example after a power failure, a crowd safety incident or an instruction from the emergency services.
Non-appearance
Losses when a headliner, keynote speaker or star performer cannot appear through illness, injury or travel failure. Insurers may ask for medical declarations.
Adverse weather
Cancellation or abandonment caused by storms, high winds, flooding or extreme heat at outdoor events. It usually has to be arranged well ahead of the date.
Event liability
Injury to attendees and damage to the venue or third-party property caused by the event, including claims from crowd movement, temporary structures and catering areas.
Read more about public liability insurance
Crew and staff
Injury to employed crew, stewards and event staff while working, including build and break-down days.
Read more about employers' liability insurance
Event equipment
Owned and hired-in staging, marquees, lighting, sound and audio-visual kit against theft and accidental damage, at the venue and in transit.
Read more about business equipment cover
Box office and takings
Ticket income and cash takings on site, and the cost of refunding tickets when an insured cancellation happens. Theft by staff or contractors is a separate crime risk.
Extensions organisers often add
- Terrorism and threat: cancellation after an attack or credible threat nearby, which standard cancellation usually excludes
- National mourning: cancellation following a period of national mourning, offered by some insurers as an extension
- Reduced attendance: a shortfall in attendance caused by an insured event such as transport strikes, available from specialist insurers
- Goods in transit: staging and exhibition stock moving between venues, while the trucks carrying it need commercial vehicle insurance
- Legal expenses: disputes with venues, artists and suppliers over contracts and deposits
Who buys event and contingency cover?
It is bought wherever an organiser carries the cost of an event before income arrives. These are the businesses that buy it most often.
Running a venue all year? Your buildings, staff and trading sit under leisure business insurance. Every other sector we cover is in our industry directory.
- Festival organisers: multi-day outdoor events with weather, crowd and headliner exposure
- Concert and tour promoters: artist fees, venue hire and production costs committed months ahead, with business travel cover for touring crews
- Conference and exhibition organisers: venue contracts, speaker fees and exhibitor income across an annual programme, plus cyber cover for delegate data and ticketing
- Corporate event agencies: events run for clients, where contracts often require named cover and planning errors fall under professional indemnity
- Sports event organisers: races, tournaments and fixtures with participants, spectators and broadcast commitments
- Venues promoting their own shows: arenas, theatres and halls taking the box office risk on top of their venue insurance
- Hotels and wedding venues: large functions and promoted events beyond the cover in a hospitality policy
- Trade show and awards organisers: dinners and exhibitions with sponsorship income at stake
- Charities running major fundraisers: galas, challenge events and concerts where cancellation would hit fundraising, often alongside trustee liability cover
- Staging and production companies: kit on hire and crews on site, combined with cover for lifting and plant
- Event caterers: kitchens and bars at events, with products liability for food and drink served
How much does event and contingency insurance cost?
Contingency is priced on the money at risk and how exposed the event is to things going wrong. Liability is priced on attendance and activities. These factors drive both.
Budget or revenue insured
The irrecoverable costs or net revenue you ask the insurer to protect set the starting point.
Indoor or outdoor
Open-air events carry weather exposure and are rated very differently from a hotel conference.
Time of year and location
Season, local weather patterns, transport links and the venue's own history all count.
Key people
Non-appearance cover for a headliner depends on their health, age, touring schedule and how replaceable they are.
Attendance and activities
Crowd size, alcohol, standing areas, temporary structures and activities such as rides drive the liability premium.
Contracts and planning
Clear venue and artist contracts, a written safety plan and experienced stewarding contractors reduce uncertainty for the insurer.
What event and contingency insurance does not cover
Cancellation policies are tightly defined. These are the gaps that most often lead to a disputed claim.
- Poor ticket sales or lack of public interest, unless reduced attendance cover has been bought
- Financial failure of the organiser, the venue or a key supplier
- Failure to obtain licences, permits or safety approvals in time
- Weather or other circumstances already known or forecast when cover was arranged
- Communicable disease, which most policies now exclude
- Non-appearance due to a medical condition that was known and not declared
- Losses that can be recovered from the venue, artists or suppliers under their contracts
- Terrorism, unless the extension has been added or separate terrorism cover is held
Contingency cover or event liability?
Organisers often assume one includes the other. They protect against completely different losses, and most professional events need both.
| Feature | Event contingency | Event liability |
|---|---|---|
| Protects | Your own money committed to the event | Your responsibility to attendees, contractors and the venue |
| Typical claim | A storm closes the site and costs are written off | A visitor is injured when a barrier fails |
| Often required by | Investors, sponsors and your own finance team | Venues, local authorities and landowners |
| Priced on | Budget, revenue, weather exposure and key people | Attendance, activities, alcohol and structures |
| Timing | Bought early, before costs are committed and risks are known | In place from build until the site is cleared |
How to arrange event and contingency insurance
Insurers decide quickly when the event is clearly described and the numbers are complete.
Describe the event
Dates, location, indoor or outdoor, expected attendance, activities and the build and break-down period.
Prepare the budget
Costs committed and when, ticket and sponsorship income, and which costs can be recovered under contracts.
Name the key people
Headline acts or speakers whose absence would stop the event, with any medical information requested.
Collect your plans
Safety plan, stewarding and security contractors, medical cover, and licences applied for.
Arrange cover early
Weather and non-appearance terms tighten as the date approaches, so place cover before tickets go on sale.
Planning a season of events?
Tell us about your event or programme and a specialist broker will compare cover.
Get a quoteEvent and contingency insurance questions
How much does event cancellation insurance cost?
It depends on the budget or revenue insured, whether the event is indoors or outdoors, the time of year, key people and how well the event is planned. Outdoor festivals with headline acts usually cost far more to insure than an indoor conference.
When should I buy event contingency insurance?
As early as possible, ideally when you first commit costs. Insurers will not cover risks already known, and weather or non-appearance terms usually tighten or become unavailable as the event date gets closer.
Does event insurance cover poor ticket sales?
No. Standard cancellation cover does not pay because an event fails to sell. Some specialist insurers offer reduced attendance cover, but only where the shortfall is caused by a defined insured event such as a transport strike.
Is communicable disease covered?
Usually not. Most cancellation policies now exclude communicable disease, and specific cover is limited and expensive where available. It is worth reviewing your contracts with venues and artists for how they handle this risk.
Do I need event liability if the venue has insurance?
Usually yes. The venue's policy protects the venue's own liability, not yours as organiser. Most venues require organisers to hold their own public liability and to name the venue on the policy.
Can I insure a full programme of events on one policy?
Yes. Organisers with a regular calendar often buy an annual policy that declares each event, with the budget and dates for each. This keeps terms consistent and avoids arranging cover event by event.
Does contingency cover non-appearance of a performer?
Only if non-appearance is included and the person is named. Insurers often ask for medical declarations, and conditions known in advance are excluded. Cover normally applies where the absence causes cancellation, not just disappointment.
Is hired equipment covered by event insurance?
Not under contingency cover. Hired staging, marquees and audio-visual kit need an equipment section or separate policy. Hire contracts often make the organiser responsible for the kit from delivery until collection.
How do I get an event insurance quote?
Send the event details through this page and a broker who places contingency risks will respond, ideally well before tickets go on sale. Dates, location, expected attendance, the budget, ticket income, key people and the safety plan are the core of any submission.
Compare event and contingency insurance
Cancellation, non-appearance and event liability cover for organisers and venues, arranged well ahead of the date.