Your Event Checklist

With so many events on in the coming months, we thought it would be useful to create a checklist of the areas you need to consider and potentially manage for any event big or small. 

Site requirements

Have you done a site inspection to ensure that your venue or intended site:

• can hold the intended number of people for your event
• has appropriate exits, toilet facilities, emergency service access
• does not have noise or access restrictions which may affect setting up or running your event. 

Take a look at the  Pre-event Site and Venue Assessment article for more details on these issues.

Rules, rules, rules

Have you organised any necessary permits required for your event: liquor licensing, POPE permit? Are any of your marquees over 100m2 and therefore require siting permits from your local council?

Are you complying with all regulations for food safety, fire safety, first aid  and emergency procedures.

Who else do I need?

Will you need other services or contractors:

• security for equipment outside event hours
• security during the event
• food & drink vendors
• first aid officers
• entertainers
• audio/visual services
• volunteers/staff.

And if something goes wrong…

Have you organised insurance for your event?

Does your venue have public liability insurance or do you need to organise that for your event?  Do you need personal injury insurance for volunteers or workcover for staff employed for the event? Do your contracted security services hold their own public liability insurance? Should you consider other types of insurance relating to fund-raising events/entertainment.

And finally…

Not all of the above may apply to your event but some of these things will need to be managed to ensure that your event is as successful, trouble-free and enjoyable as possible.

Do I need insurance for my event?

What if this happened at your event…

A stage collapses on the front row of an audience causing many injuries, some permanent. Estimated damages from lawsuits are at over $1,000,000. The event organiser is found partly liable for these claims and will have to contribute at least 50% to the final payout.

 
What is Public Liability?

Public liability insurance covers your legal liability to compensate third parties for personal injury or property damage caused by an incident in connection with your activities. Public liability insurance also covers the legal costs associated with the defence of any legal actions.

Public liability insurance can be taken out for one-off special events including music festivals, dance parties, under 18 discos, corporate & private functions, community festivals and events.

Public Liability Insurance

Public Liability Insurance will almost certainly be required for your event. Firstly, check with the venue of your event to see what their conditions of hire or use state regarding public liability insurance (PLI). They may require a basic level of PLI but the nature of your event may also require higher levels of insurance.

Venue managers maintain their own insurance but this only covers the venue operator and does not normally extend to protect the liability of groups or organisers using the venue.

If you are organizing an outdoor event then it is likely your organisation will need to take out public liability insurance, particularly if your event is to be held on council or public land.

Often the owner of land you are hiring will require that your organisation has public liability insurance of at least $10 million. Some councils and other bodies may also ask you to list them in your policy as an ‘interested party’ and will request a copy of the policy before giving permission to hold your event. Your organisation should not ignore these requirements.

Do I need other kinds of insurance for my event?

If your organisation is booking amusements or other entertainment for an event, ask for  a copy of that entertainer’s current public liability policy before the event. You can protect the interests of your organisation by requiring that your event entertainers and other vendors or suppliers have their own public liability insurance. Even small stall holders should have their own public liability insurance.

There may be a range of other insurances that your organisation will be required to get or will need to consider:

• if selling food or other products to the public you may need  product liability insurance;
• if you are relying on volunteers to help you with the event you should consider personal accident (volunteers) insurance;
• if you are hiring employees to help you with the event then you will definitely need workers compensation insurance (WorkSafe Injury Insurance).
• if you are hiring security services, use licensed security personnel that hold their own public liability insurance.

If you are running an event for profit or as a fundraiser you may want to consider insurance that will protect your organisation against financial loss in case of cancellation. You should also consider industry-specific risks such as cancellation or non-appearance of performers. Cancellation/Non-appearance Insurance is designed to protect event organisers, promoters or sponsors against cancellation, abandonment, postponement, interruption or relocation of their event. 

For more information about insurance, see the Guide: Insurance and risk management for Victorian community organizations.

How do I find the right insurance for my event?

If you are not already using an insurance company, then ask contacts in the event industry or your suppliers which insurance company they use for insuring themselves for public liability or property for events.  There are some specialist insurance brokers for the entertainment and events industry or your own insurance company may be able to arrange insurance to meet your event’s specific requirements.