Liability at business events: what do you need to arrange?

Are you organising a conference, trade fair, client day or company party? Then you're automatically dealing with risk. What if a guest trips over a power cable? Or a projector gets damaged? Or the venue sustains damage? Who pays the bill – and are you properly insured?

Understanding liability at business events

As the organiser of a business event, you're responsible for the safety of your guests, the equipment you use or rent, and the venue where it all takes place. If something goes wrong – someone gets injured, or damage occurs – you could be held liable. And at business events, where high-value equipment and professional locations are often involved, the costs can quickly add up. Without the right coverage, those risks land squarely on your shoulders.

How liability coverage works with event insurance

For each event, you can take out a separate event insurance policy – and include liability coverage as part of it. This coverage applies specifically to incidents that happen during that one event. It’s a smart add-on to your existing business insurance, because most general liability policies don’t cover claims that arise during events.

What about your existing business liability insurance?

Most organisers already have business liability insurance. But these policies usually only cover damage or incidents during your day-to-day business operations – like office work or meetings. Any claims related to an event are typically excluded. That’s why it makes sense to arrange event-specific liability cover via your event insurance policy.

No Risk now also offers a combined solution: ongoing cover that includes both your regular and event-related liability. That way, you’re always protected, without having to sort it out separately for each event.

Who's responsible for rented equipment?

If you rent equipment for your event – like furniture, lighting or sound systems – you're usually the one responsible for it. Many organisers assume the supplier is insured, but that’s often not the case. And if something gets damaged – even if it wasn’t your fault – the repair or replacement costs can be high.

Event insurance offers two forms of protection: liability coverage if you're held responsible, and equipment coverage for accidental damage (like fire or storm). This way, you won’t be left footing the bill.

Checklist: handling liability in 4 steps

• Identify the risks specific to your business event.
• Be aware that your standard business liability policy usually doesn’t cover events.
• Clearly define who is responsible for which insurance policies: you, the client, or your suppliers.
• Add liability and equipment coverage to your event insurance if your event requires it.

Smart and professional

Liability may not be the most exciting part of your event, but it can have serious consequences. You now know what to look out for, what your existing insurance does (and doesn’t) cover, and when it makes sense to add extra protection. With an event insurance policy from No Risk, you can easily include the right cover – and if you need help, we're just a call or click away.