The gear is in a trailer in a car park in a city nobody knows.

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 — Instruments and backline are the working capital of a tour and they sleep in a vehicle every night.

General liability

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

Without it — Every venue contract requires it, named, before you are allowed to load in.

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 — A cancelled run still owes the crew, the bus and the deposits.

Non-appearance

Responds when the specific named artist people bought tickets to see cannot perform, through illness, injury or travel failure — which general event cover does not carry by default.

Without it — Illness on a routed tour takes several dates rather than one.

Commercial auto

Vehicles the business owns and the people who drive them for work.

Without it — A van and trailer crossing state lines on a schedule is a commercial use whatever the vehicle looks like.

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 — Crew, techs and drivers are employees in most arrangements, and touring injuries are load-in injuries.

Umbrella & excess liability

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

Without it — Arena and festival contracts specify limits well above what a club will ask for.

Media errors & omissions

Covers claims arising from the content itself — copyright, trademark, defamation and rights clearance. No distributor or streamer accepts delivery of a finished film without it.

Without it — Recorded and streamed shows are published content with their own rights exposure.

Is my gear covered when it is in the van overnight?

Only if the policy says so, and this is the single most important clause on a touring policy. Many instrument and equipment forms exclude or sublimit theft from an unattended vehicle, which describes the risk almost perfectly — gear is stolen from vehicles, at night, outside hotels. Ask specifically about unattended vehicle theft, whether there is an alarm or hidden-vehicle condition, and what the sublimit is. A policy that covers the gear in the venue and not in the van is not covering the tour.

The venue wants a certificate with them named. Is that normal?

Entirely, and it is worth arranging an annual policy rather than a certificate per show. A touring act playing thirty dates will be asked thirty times, usually at short notice, and an annual general liability with blanket additional insured wording turns a scramble into an email. It is also cheaper than the alternative.

Do we need anything different to tour internationally?

Yes, and it is the thing most often left too late. Territorial limits on a domestic policy frequently stop at the border, carnets and customs bonds have their own requirements, and some countries require locally admitted cover before a venue will contract with you. Canada and the UK in particular have their own expectations. Tell us the routing when it is confirmed rather than when the first overseas date approaches.

What changes on a Canadian run