Convention Insurance

Are you planning a gathering of minds? Conventions bring people together who share the same passions or professions. Even with all the synergy, things can go wrong, such as an attendee tripping over a vendor’s display and doing a faceplant. You don’t want to organize a convention without getting Convention Insurance.

What is Convention Insurance?

Convention Insurance is a type of special event insurance that covers liability claims that occur while you are organizing or hosting a convention.

Incidents can occur during the event, set-up or breakdown, leading to third-party bodily injury or property damage. Third parties can be attendees or venue owners. Having the right coverage will not only protect you against the financial consequences resulting from claims of bodily injury or property damage but will also provide the investigation of the claims and a legal defense when necessary.

What does Convention Insurance cover?

When people attend a convention, they expect a safe environment among the booths, displays, and overall location. But even if you do everything that you can to promote safe practices, mishaps can happen.

Some of the resulting claims end up in lawsuits. Convention Insurance provides the investigation and legal defense of claims so you don’t incur extra expenses. It even provides a defense for a claim that is fraudulently made against you.

Convention Insurance can protect you from the financial consequences of claims such as:

Third-party, non-employee bodily injury

If an attendee or guest gets hurt during the event, you could be liable for their medical costs as well as consequential damages they experience because of the injury.

Third-party property damage

If an attendee’s or guest’s personal property is damaged while attending the event, you could be held liable. This might be clothing, jewelry, or other items that you may have to have repaired or replaced.

Personal and advertising injury

Flyers and swag are everywhere at conventions. But if someone accuses you of slander, libel, or copyright infringement, you could be liable—and that’s not the reputation you want.

Damages from liquor liability

If your convention provides alcohol and someone who is drinking hurts someone else or damages another’s property, you could be held liable. If you are selling alcohol, you may need to purchase additional coverage for liquor liability.

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Quick thinking insurance for small businesses.

How much does Convention Insurance cost?

Getting Convention Insurance is more affordable than you may think. A small event may cost a little more than $100 to insure, but costs will vary depending on a few factors.

These include the size of the event, how long the convention will take place, and how hazardous the event will be. We’ll also evaluate whether or not additional liquor liability coverage is needed for the event. If this coverage is needed, your premium will go up.

Here is a range of Thimble’s Convention Insurance costs for one day, without additional coverage for liquor liability:

Size	Number of Attendees	Premium
Small	1 - 50	$115 - $125
Medium	200 - 250	$178 - $201

Who needs Convention Insurance?

Whether you are a business, organization, or an individual sponsoring, planning, or hosting a convention, you should get Convention Insurance. Why? Not having it could potentially leave you responsible for having to pay out thousands of dollars in damages and defense costs if a claim is filed against you.

Plus, the venue will likely require you to have valid general liability insurance. In fact, insurance is a requirement of many rental contracts. You may need to list the venue as an Additional Insured, which means the venue is added to your policy to extend coverage to it. Depending on the size of the venue, you’ll likely be asked to have a minimum limit of $1 million in general liability coverage.

For example, a vendor may have a mechanical demonstration that malfunctions, leading to a fire in the convention venue. Depending on how bad the fire is, and whether as the sponsor you are brought into the suit, this could lead to tens of thousands of dollars in damage or more with others expecting you to pay.

Of course, you can’t ignore common accidents such as slip-and-falls. One attendee may spill a cup of coffee on the floor. Before someone cleans it, someone can slip on it and hurt himself. If so, you could be held liable.

What other insurance might you need for a convention?

While Convention Insurance can cover you for bodily injury, property damage, and personal and advertising injury you may still need other types of insurance. This is especially true if you have business property or employees at the event.

Anyone who brings business property to the venue should consider getting business equipment protection. If you have business property that you’re bringing with you to the convention, and it is accidentally lost or damaged, business equipment protection can pay to cover the replacement or repair of your property. The more property that travels with you, the bigger your exposure.

Convention organizers who have employees helping with the event’s execution almost always need workers’ compensation insurance (most states require it by law). This type of insurance pays for medical expenses and lost wages of employees who are hurt while working or who develop an illness as a result of their job.

Also, many convention organizers try to outsource resources as much as possible and contract vendors rather than hire employees. You want to make sure that each vendor has a valid general liability insurance policy that lists you as an Additional Insured. This can help you if someone names you in a lawsuit or claim stemming from your vendors’ actions. If they need insurance, you can help them find vendor general liability insurance.

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Business Equipment Protection

Business Equipment Protection is a type of first-party insurance that covers business equipment that you own, rent or borrow and is used in connection with your business. (Other insurance companies for small businesses call it inland marine insurance, but we like to keep things clear and simple.)

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Workers’ Compensation

Workers’ compensation covers the costs related to your employees’ workplace injuries and illnesses, and it’s required in just about every state. Your team is your most valuable asset, so it’s crucial that you protect your business and team.

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Event Insurance

Event Insurance provides general liability coverage for short-term events and provides coverage against third-party claims for property damage and bodily injury. It can protect against claims made by event attendees as well as the venue in which the event is held.

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Making the most out of your convention

People go to conventions to learn new things, whether to hone a hobby or network with professional peers. Either way, you (as the convention host) can help everyone get the most out of the event by having the right protections in place.

Develop a keen eye for safety protocols and get the right Convention Insurance to help if something goes wrong.

If planning a convention is in your future, leave us your email to find out when Convention Insurance via Thimble will be available in your area.

Convention Insurance FAQs

What if I only need insurance for a single day?

No problem. Thimble’s special event insurance policies will cover your event for one day, including the time you need for set-up and breakdown, which are rife with risks. You can get insurance for your event for up to five days.

What are Thimble’s Convention Insurance coverage policy limits?

Liability limits start at $1 million per occurrence with a $1 million aggregate. You can increase the liability limits to $2 million per occurrence with a $2 million aggregate if you choose.

Does Convention Insurance via Thimble cover event cancellation?

No. Thimble’s special event insurance policies do not cover event cancellation. However, your special event insurance policy is fully refundable as long as it is canceled before the policy start date/time.

I’m having a boating convention. Can Convention Insurance cover me?

It depends but definitely not if the boats are out on the water. Thimble’s Convention Insurance doesn’t cover open-water boat shows, aircraft events, and a few other activities. Be sure to read the policy—especially the exclusions—so you know what is not covered.