You do not own the venue, the food or the band, and you are the one who gets sued.
Cover for planners and coordinators — professional liability for the arrangements, general liability the venues demand, and the vendor failures you are blamed for but do not control.
Tell us the situation.
A licensed human replies the same business day — not an auto-responder, and not five producers calling at once. We shop it across our carriers and tell you if the policy you already have is the right one.
We use this to quote and service your insurance, and we do not sell it or pass it to lead networks. Privacy policy.
What event planner businesses actually need.
Professional liability
Claims that the planning failed — a missed booking, a vendor not confirmed, a schedule that collapsed.
Without it — Your product is coordination, and its failure is a financial loss not an injury.
General liability
Injury and property damage at the event.
Without it — Every venue requires it before you may work there.
Event cancellation
Costs and deposits lost when an event cannot go ahead.
Without it — Deposits are paid long in advance and are rarely refundable.
Liquor exposure
Where you arrange or oversee the bar rather than a licensed caterer doing it.
Without it — Being close to the alcohol is enough to be named.
Hired equipment
Staging, furniture, AV and marquees hired in your name.
Without it — Hire agreements make you responsible for full replacement value.
What event planner operators ask us.
A vendor let us down. Is that our claim or theirs?
Both, usually, and that is the difficulty. The client contracted with YOU, so they will pursue you regardless of which supplier failed — a caterer who does not arrive, a band that cancels, a marquee that is not erected. Your professional liability responds to your part; you then pursue the vendor. Two things reduce the pain: contracts that limit your liability for third-party failure, and requiring vendors to carry their own cover and to name you.
Should the client buy their own event insurance?
For a wedding or a private event, generally yes, and it is worth recommending as standard. Their policy covers their deposits, their liability as host and their cancellation exposure — none of which yours is written for. Planners who quietly absorb client-side risk because it was easier than the conversation end up as the only insured party in the room, which is exactly the wrong place to be.
What limits do venues ask for?
A $1,000,000 per-occurrence general liability limit is the common baseline, with the venue as an additional insured, and larger hotels and municipal spaces frequently ask for $2,000,000 or an umbrella. Get the requirement in writing at booking. The recurring failure in this trade is discovering the venue’s wording a week out and having to endorse a policy under time pressure.
Not ready to talk? The guides answer the questions this page raises in more depth. Already insured with us and need a certificate or a policy change? Ask the service team rather than starting a quote — it is faster and it goes to the people whose job it is. We also write home and auto, which is usually cheaper alongside the business policy than apart from it.