A city block of temporary structures, built and struck in four days.

Event liability

General liability for a single event or a season of them. It is the coverage a venue, park or municipality requires, naming them, before they will confirm the booking.

Without it — Convention centers and hotels specify limits and additional insured status in the contract.

Event cancellation

Reimburses the committed costs of an event that cannot go ahead for a reason outside your control, and the exposure peaks before the gates open, because most of the money is spent by then.

Without it — Space, marketing and production are committed a year out and are not refundable.

Inland marine & equipment

Tools, equipment and property in transit. It picks up exactly where commercial property stops, which is the moment the item leaves the building.

Without it — Staging, AV, freight and exhibitor material in transit and on the floor.

General liability

Third-party bodily injury and property damage. It is the line nearly every contract names by default.

Without it — A crowd moving through a temporary environment for several days.

Active assailant

Covers the costs following a violent attack at a premises or event: victim support, counseling, closure, the security review and the crisis response, most of which liability coverage does not reach.

Without it — Large indoor gatherings are the exposure this form was written for.

Workers compensation

Required in almost every state the moment you have employees. Priced on payroll and class code, which is why the class code is worth arguing about.

Without it — Build and strike crews working to a deadline in a hall.

Liquor liability

If you serve alcohol, your general liability almost certainly excludes what happens after you serve it.

Without it — Receptions and hosted bars are part of almost every program.

Umbrella & excess liability

Extra limit stacked above general liability, auto and employers liability. Usually the cheapest million dollars on the policy.

Without it — Venue agreements routinely require limits above primary before signing.

Who is responsible for exhibitors?

They are, and your contract should say so explicitly. Standard practice is that every exhibitor carries their own liability and names the organizer and the venue as additional insureds, which means somebody has to collect several hundred certificates. Organizers increasingly solve this with a program that lets exhibitors buy compliant coverage in minutes rather than chasing paperwork.

How a facility program handles this

What actually cancels a convention?

Rarely the thing people plan for. In practice it is the venue becoming unavailable, a transport or infrastructure failure, an authority restricting gatherings, or a keynote the whole program was sold on withdrawing. Coverage for each of those is a separate question, and the ones excluded by default, communicable disease especially, are worth asking about by name.

What does a convention and trade show insurance application ask for?

The applications for convention and trade show businesses ask about 4 things above all: what type of auctions do you run and what items do you typically sell; how many employees do you have; do you have a written grievance policy; who is your current errors and omissions insurance carrier, or your last one if you don't have current coverage. Have your last five years of claims history from your current insurer, called loss runs and a copy of the contract your customers sign ready and a quote takes a day instead of a week.