Few of us take any real pleasure in the purchase of insurance however, we do rest easy knowing we’re protected from the financial pain of a loss. Arranging well-structured event protection is key to any event organiser but in this niche world how can you ensure you aren’t paying over the odds for cancellation cover?
We’ve created some bench-marking from our industry experience which gives you a quick guide to not only how your insurer assesses your event risk, but some market pricing that will provide a comparison to your current premium spend.
Premium Methodology
An insurer will look at the potential causes of cancellation your event is exposed to and will develop a rate for each peril based on the probability of loss. One of the best ways to keep premium spend down is to invest some time in risk mitigation – if your insurer can see that you’ve put some thought into improving your events’ tolerance to potential loss, you can be sure of getting yourself a better deal.
Once an insurer has decided on an overall rate for the event, this is then applied to your event budget to determine the premium charged. For example, should you be running an event with a $100,000 budget and an insurers assessed rate for the event is 2%, the premium calculation would be:
$100,000 x 2% = $2,000 (GST, Stamp Duty, and usually a Broker Fee will be payable, in addition to this).
Perils and Rates
Event insurers offer extremely broad protection to those looking to safeguard their event budgets. Whilst it’s easy to foresee elements such as the weather impacting an event, many event cancellation losses are the result of far more obscure causes. We’ve seen everything from localised black-outs, to the inability to service port-a-loo’s, suspend well-managed events.
Below are some typical perils we see insurers charge for and an applicable rate range from superior protection through to what would represent high exposure to insurers. Key considerations are also identified – focus on improving these aspects to save on your event cancellation premiums.
Peril
Insurer Considerations
Low Rate
High Rate
Base Cancellation
Location, event infrastructure, organiser experience, potential for postponement / relocation / delay
0.10%
0.65%
Venue
Property protections, security, access, location, drainage, natural barriers, surrounding businesses / industry
0.10%
0.50%
Weather/Natural Disaster
Historical data, event tolerance to conditions, contingency planning for poor weather, potential large loss exposure, seasonal patterns
0.25%
3.50% +
Non-Appearance
Artist performance history, number of insured performers, performance requirements, travel schedule, touring schedule, age and prior health, lifestyle factors
0.50%
4.50% +
Logistics
Reliance on equipment, touring schedule, time to repair / replace equipment, mode of transport utilised
0.05%
0.50%
Utilities
Potential for failure of power / water / gas / transport services - potential to delay event
0.025%
0.10%
Terrorism
Location, event profile, security, current threats
0.035%
0.25%
Loss History
Previous losses / close calls, event longevity, improvements made to event to increase tolerance to potential losses
0.00%
Decline to write
To further assist, below are some common event scenarios with rating for an appropriate package of perils. Check these against your past/current event budgets to see where you sit in the market. If you are paying anything above mid-range, you are almost certainly leaving money on the table.
Event Type
Insurer Considerations
Low Rate
High Rate
Indoor Conference
Purpose built conference centre, capital city location, multi-day all activity indoors. Terrorism included
0.20%
0.30%
Community Event
Outdoors with moderate tolerance to weather and the ability to delay for up to 2 hours. City location with basic event infrastructure
0.80%
2.50%
Outdoor Festival without Non-Appearance
Established music venue, high tolerance to weather
0.50%
1.35% +
Outdoor Rock Concert with Non-Appearance
Established music venue, high tolerance to weather, single artist under 50 years of age with light touring schedule and good performance history
1.35%
2.50% +
If you have any further questions about the above topic or your own events, feel free to respond via the ‘Comment Section’ below and we’ll be happy answer these.
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