Author: Bruno
-
From Plan to Reality: How to Test Event Readiness Before Opening Day
Most events don’t fail because of poor planning.
They fail because plans were never properly tested.On paper, everything can look perfect:
- Timelines are met
- Vendors are confirmed
- Systems are in place
But live events don’t happen on paper—they happen in real, dynamic environments where pressure, volume, and unpredictability expose weaknesses fast.
That’s why testing is the bridge between planning and true readiness.
Why Testing Is Non-Negotiable
Without testing, you’re relying on assumptions:
- That systems will work together
- That staff understand their roles
- That response times are acceptable
The problem? Assumptions don’t hold under pressure.
Testing replaces assumptions with evidence.
It answers the only question that matters:
“Will this actually work when the event goes live?”
The Three Levels of Event Testing
Effective readiness testing happens in layers. Each serves a different purpose.
1. Tabletop Exercises (Thinking Through Scenarios)
These are discussion-based simulations with key stakeholders.
You walk through scenarios like:
- Major medical incident
- Power failure
- Crowd surge
- Communication breakdown
The goal:
- Test decision-making
- Clarify roles and responsibilities
- Identify gaps in procedures
👉 These are low-cost and high-impact—but only test thinking, not execution.
2. Functional Testing (Systems in Isolation)
Here, individual systems are tested on their own:
- Radio communication coverage
- AV and broadcast systems
- Power and backup systems
- Entry and security screening
The goal:
- Ensure each system works as designed
- Identify technical failures early
👉 This validates components—but not how they interact.
3. Full-Scale Rehearsals (Real Conditions)
This is where readiness is truly proven.
You simulate real event conditions:
- Live crowd movement (or realistic volumes)
- Full staffing
- Real-time communication
- End-to-end operations
Examples:
- Running full entry operations at peak capacity
- Simulating an evacuation scenario
- Testing incident response across all teams
👉 This is the closest you get to “event day before event day.”
Start your readiness program now, see our Eventknowhow Readiness App
What You Should Be Measuring During Testing
Testing without measurement is just activity.
You need clear KPIs (Key Performance Indicators) to evaluate performance:
- Evacuation time
- Radio coverage and reliability
- Queue times at entry and key touchpoints
- Incident response time (detect → act)
- System uptime and failure rates
These metrics turn testing into objective readiness validation.
Common Failures Testing Will Reveal
When done properly, testing will expose issues like:
- Communication dead zones
- Bottlenecks at entry points
- Delayed response times
- System integration failures
- Unclear decision-making authority
This is not a problem—it’s the point.
If you don’t find issues during testing, you’re probably not testing hard enough.
The Biggest Mistakes in Event Testing
1. Testing too late
Testing should start early and build over time—not happen just days before opening.
2. Not simulating real conditions
Testing with low volumes or partial teams gives false confidence.
3. Ignoring worst-case scenarios
If you only test “normal operations,” you miss the moments that matter most.
4. Not fixing what you find
Testing without follow-up action is wasted effort.
Every issue identified should be:
- Logged
- Prioritized
- Resolved before go-live
When Is an Event “Tested Enough”?
There’s no perfect answer—but a strong rule is:
You are ready when critical systems have been tested under realistic conditions—
and all critical issues are resolved.Not when:
- Testing is complete
- Reports are written
- Teams feel confident
Confidence without evidence is risk.
A Practical Approach to Testing
A simple structure you can follow:
- Define critical scenarios
→ What could realistically go wrong? - Test systems individually
→ Ensure each component works - Run integrated rehearsals
→ Test everything together - Measure performance with KPIs
→ Use data, not opinions - Fix issues and retest
→ Close the loop
Final Thought
Testing is where plans meet reality.
The best events don’t assume they’re ready.
They prove it—again and again—before opening day.Because once the event goes live,
there’s no second chance to get it right.
If you’re working on an event and want to assess readiness, feel free to get in touch or explore our Eventknowhow Readiness App.
-
Why Event Risk Isn’t About Crowd Size (And What Actually Drives Risk)
When people think about event risk, the first question is almost always:
“How many people are attending?”
It’s a logical starting point—but it’s also one of the most misleading ways to assess risk.
In reality, crowd size alone tells you very little about how risky an event actually is.
The Crowd Size Myth
A common assumption is:
- Small crowd = low risk
- Large crowd = high risk
But consider this:
- A 500-person seated conference in a controlled venue → relatively low risk
- A 500-person outdoor event with vehicles, alcohol, and temporary structures → significantly higher risk
Same crowd size. Completely different risk profile.
What Actually Drives Event Risk
Event risk is not defined by one factor—it’s the combination of multiple risk drivers interacting at the same time.
Here are the five that matter most:
1. Crowd Characteristics (Not Just Size)
It’s not just how many people are there—it’s who they are and how they behave.
Key factors:
- Demographics (families vs. young crowds)
- Behavior (seated vs. mobile, calm vs. high-energy)
- Alcohol consumption
- Familiarity with the environment
A disciplined, seated audience behaves very differently from a dynamic, moving crowd.
2. Venue Type & Environment
The same event can carry very different risks depending on where it takes place.
- Permanent venues (stadiums, arenas):
- Built for crowds
- Tested infrastructure
- Established safety systems
- Temporary or adapted venues (open fields, beaches, car parks):
- Limited infrastructure
- Higher uncertainty, mostly weather-related
- Greater reliance on temporary structures
Temporary environments almost always increase risk.
3. Hazardous Activities
This is one of the biggest risk multipliers.
Examples include:
- Vehicles moving near spectators
- Pyrotechnics or fireworks
- Amusement rides
- Stages
Even a small audience can become high-risk when hazardous activities are introduced.
4. Infrastructure & Systems Complexity
Modern events rely on interconnected systems:
- Power supply and backup systems
- Communications (especially radio)
- Security and screening
- AV and broadcast
- Crowd management systems
The more complex the system, the higher the risk of:
- Failure
- Interdependency issues
- Cascading problems
5. Organizer Competency
This is often the most underestimated factor.
Two events with identical setups can have very different risk levels depending on:
- Experience of the organizer
- Quality of planning and execution
- Ability to manage incidents in real time
Inexperienced teams increase risk—even in otherwise controlled environments.
Start your readiness program now, see our Eventknowhow Readiness App
Risk Is About Interaction, Not Isolation
The key insight is this:
Risk doesn’t come from individual factors—
it comes from how they interact.For example:
- A temporary venue + large crowd + pyrotechnics + limited experience
→ Very high risk - A permanent venue + seated audience + no hazardous activity + experienced operator
→ Lower risk
No single factor defines the outcome.
Why This Matters for Event Planning
If you only look at crowd size:
- You may underestimate real risks
- You may overlook critical hazards
- You may allocate resources incorrectly
A better approach is to assess:
- Multiple dimensions
- Their interactions
- Their combined impact
A Practical Way to Think About Risk
Instead of asking:
“How many people are attending?”
Ask:
“What combination of factors could cause harm—and how likely are they to interact?”
That shift leads to:
- Better planning
- Better prioritization
- Better risk mitigation
Common Mistakes to Avoid
1. Over-relying on attendance numbers
Numbers are easy to measure—but they don’t tell the full story.
2. Ignoring temporary environments
Temporary setups often introduce the highest risks.
3. Underestimating “low-risk” activities
Small additions (e.g., vehicles, fireworks) can significantly increase risk.
4. Assuming experience isn’t critical
Competency is not optional—it’s a core risk driver.
Final Thought
Crowd size matters—but it’s only one piece of the puzzle.
The safest events are not those with the smallest crowds.
They’re the ones where all risk factors are understood, assessed, and controlled together.
If you’re working on a major event and want to assess readiness, feel free to get in touch or explore our Eventknowhow Readiness App.
-
The 25 Critical KPIs That Decide Go/No-Go for Major Events
When it comes to live events, success isn’t determined by how detailed your plan is—it’s determined by whether you are ready to go live.
That decision should never be based on gut feeling.
It should be based on clear, measurable KPIs that tell you, objectively, whether your event can operate safely and effectively under real conditions.
Why KPIs Matter for Event Readiness
In complex events, hundreds of things are happening at once:
- Crowds are moving
- Systems are interacting
- Teams are coordinating in real time
Without structured KPIs:
- Issues stay hidden
- Risks are underestimated
- Decisions become subjective
KPIs turn complexity into clarity.
They answer one critical question:
“Are we ready—yes or no?”
What Makes a KPI “Critical”?
Not all KPIs are equal.
A critical KPI is one that:
- Directly impacts safety or core operations
- Has a clear threshold (pass/fail or RAG (Red Amber Green)status
- Can block the event from going live
Examples:
- Access gates down
- Radio communication coverage disturbed
- Key staff delayed
If these fail → the event is not ready.
Start your readiness program now, see our Eventknowhow Readiness App
The 25 Critical Event Readiness KPIs
Below is a practical, field-tested set of KPIs you can use to evaluate readiness.
👥 Crowd & Safety
- Peak crowd density (lower than 4 persons/m²)
- Entry throughput rate (min. 20 persons/min per gate/per minute)
- Queue time at entry (less than 20 minutes)
- Evacuation time (less than 13 minutes)
- Incident rate during testing (less than 1 incident per scenario)
🔐 Security
- Screening throughput (10 persons/min/gate)
- % of attendees screened (100%)
- Incident detection time (10 seconds)
📡 Communications
- Radio coverage (98% of venue)
- Dropped communication rate (less than 1%)
- Call connection time (less than 1 second)
If communication fails, coordination fails—and the event follows.
⚡ Power & Infrastructure
- Power redundancy test success (100%)
- Power uptime during testing (99%)
- Number of critical infrastructure failures (less than 2)
🎥 AV & Technical Systems
- AV system test pass rate (98%)
- Signal uptime (98%)
- Backup system readiness (95%)
🚚 Logistics
- Critical asset availability (95% on-site)
- Delivery schedule adherence (94%)
- Internal transport readiness (95%)
🍽️ Hospitality & Catering
- % of F&B outlets operational (90%)
- Queue time at peak service (less than 15 minutes)
🧭 Command & Control
- Incident response time (less than 2 minutes)
- Decision-making cycle time (less than 15 minutes)
🧪 Testing & Readiness Validation
- Critical issue closure rate (99%) before event day
How to Define KPI Thresholds (RAG Model)
Each KPI should have clear thresholds:
- Green → Ready
- Amber → Risk (manageable)
- Red → Not ready
Example:
KPI Green Amber Red Radio coverage 100% 95–99% <95% Evacuation time ≤ target +10% >10%
The Go / No-Go Rule
This is where KPIs become powerful.
A simple and effective rule:
- Any critical KPI = Red → NO GO
- Multiple Amber KPIs → Executive review required
This removes ambiguity and forces clear decisions.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
1. Too many KPIs
More data ≠ better decisions.
Focus on:
- What truly matters
- What impacts safety and operations
2. No thresholds defined
A KPI without a threshold is just a number.
Every KPI must answer:
“What does good look like?”
3. Measuring too late
KPIs should be tested:
- During rehearsals
- Before event day
- Under realistic conditions
4. Ignoring critical failures
The biggest mistake is seeing a red KPI—and proceeding anyway.
That’s not risk management. That’s risk acceptance.
A Better Way to Think About It
Instead of asking:
“How are we doing overall?”
Ask:
“Which KPI would stop us from going live today?”
That question drives focus, accountability, and better decisions.
Final Thought
KPIs are not just metrics—they are decision tools.
The best-run events don’t rely on intuition.
They rely on clear, measurable evidence that they are ready.And when that evidence says “not ready,”
they act on it—before it’s too late.
If you’re working on a major event and want to assess readiness using structured KPIs and go/no-go criteria, feel free to get in touch or explore our Eventknowhow Readiness App.
-
What Does “Event Readiness” Really Mean? (And Why Most Events Get It Wrong)
When people talk about preparing for major events like the FIFA World Cup or a Formula 1 Race, the term “event readiness” gets used constantly.
But in practice, it’s often misunderstood.
Many organizers believe that if:
- the plan is complete,
- vendors are contracted,
- and timelines are on track, the event is “ready.”
That assumption is one of the biggest risks in live event delivery.
Planning vs. Readiness: The Critical Difference
Planning is about defining what should happen.
Readiness is about proving it will happen—under real conditions.You can have:
- A detailed operations plan
- Fully staffed teams
- Signed-off designs
…and still not be ready.
Why? Because live events are dynamic, unpredictable environments. What matters is not what’s written—but what works under pressure.
What Event Readiness Actually Means
Event readiness is the proven ability of all systems, people, and processes to deliver a live event safely and reliably.
It includes five key dimensions:
1. Operational Readiness
Are people, processes, and workflows functioning as intended?
- Staff understand their roles
- Entry and exit flows are tested
- Logistics work in real conditions
2. Technical Readiness
Are systems stable, integrated, and resilient?
- AV and broadcast systems are tested
- Power redundancy is proven
- Communication systems (especially radios) work everywhere
3. Safety Readiness
Can the event handle incidents effectively?
- Evacuation plans are tested—not just documented
- Medical response times meet targets
- Crowd densities will stay within safe limits
4. Coordination Readiness
Can teams work together under pressure?
- Command & control structures are active
- Decision-making is fast and clear
- Information flows without delay
5. Contingency Readiness
What happens when things go wrong?
- Backup systems are functional
- Crisis scenarios are simulated
- Teams know how to respond—not just theoretically
Start your readiness program now, see our Eventknowhow Readiness App
Why Most Events Get It Wrong
1. They rely too heavily on documentation
Having a plan creates a false sense of security.
A 200-page Event Safety Management Plan doesn’t guarantee:
- Staff understand it
- Systems interact correctly
- Real-world constraints are accounted for
2. They underestimate system complexity
Modern events involve dozens of interdependent systems:
- Ticketing
- Security screening
- Audio-Visual
- Communications
- Transport
- Catering
A failure in one can quickly cascade into others.
3. They don’t test under real conditions
This is the most common gap.
Without proper testing:
- Bottlenecks remain hidden
- Communication gaps go unnoticed
- Response times are unknown
A system that works in isolation may fail under real-world pressure.
4. They ignore human factors
Even when systems work, people can fail:
- Miscommunication
- Lack of training
- Unclear responsibilities
Readiness requires that people perform as well as systems.
The Role of Testing and Rehearsals
True readiness is not declared—it’s demonstrated.
That’s why high-performing events invest heavily in:
- Tabletop exercises (decision-making simulations)
- Partial rehearsals (testing individual systems)
- Full-scale simulations (realistic event scenarios)
Examples include:
- Simulating a power outage during peak attendance
- Testing evacuation under time constraints
- Running live communication drills across all teams
These exercises reveal what plans cannot.
The Cost of Poor Readiness
When readiness is misunderstood, failures tend to fall into predictable categories:
- Operational breakdowns (long queues, congestion)
- Technical failures (power issues, system crashes)
- Safety incidents (crowd management failures)
- Coordination gaps (slow or unclear decision-making)
In large-scale events, these are not minor issues—they can:
- Impact thousands of attendees
- Damage reputation globally
- Create serious safety risks
A Better Way to Think About It
Instead of asking:
“Do we have everything planned?”
Ask:
“Have we proven this will work under real conditions?”
That shift changes everything.
It moves the focus from:
- Documents → Execution
- Assumptions → Evidence
- Confidence → Validation
Final Thought
Event readiness is not a milestone you reach—it’s a state you validate.
The most successful events aren’t the ones with the best plans.
They’re the ones that have tested, challenged, and proven those plans before going live.
If you’re working on an event and want to assess readiness, feel free to get in touch or explore our Eventknowhow Readiness App.
-
What can go wrong at your next event?
Managing Risk At Major Events
Introduction
Major events always introduce a higher level of risk. Visitor safety, budget security, and brand reputation are key risk management areas.
A readiness program ensures these risks are managed effectively to ensure the safe, cost-effective, and successful operation of a major live event. A major event readiness program is delivered through an escalating and increasing schedule of assessment, training and exercising during the planning, set-up and operation phases of the event.
Operational Requirements
Understanding operational requirements is critical to prevent conflict of processes and delivery, as all staff understand how the event will be delivered through the organisational structures in place using the plans and procedures that have been developed by specific functional areas, or jointly in the Event Operations Center (EOC). This ensures an event-wide cohesive response.
Staff and stakeholders will receive an understanding of:
- Command, Control, Coordination, and Communications processes
- EOC processes, operational and contingency plans,
- Functional area and EOC contingency plans
- Business-as-usual requirements
- Issues and incident resolution
Knowledge Transfer
Knowledge transfer focuses on how staff gain the knowledge, understand, practice, and develop new processes and plans as a result, and then ensure they are ‘event-ready’.
Knowledge transfer is based on the following principles:
- People must want to learn and have the capacity to learn
- Learning needs accurate information behind it (plans and procedures)
- Learning is structured to build and reinforce knowledge
- Learning is to be short, focused and targeted, to facilitate attendance and understanding
- Where relevant, sessions can be recorded and made available online
Program Schedule
A readiness schedule is broken down into a continuous flow of information, in short, programmed bursts, and spread over the period before the operational phase.
The flow can be changed, compressed, expanded, reorganised or delivered to groups or individuals; it must be entirely flexible. A scheduled program can consist of the following:
- Readiness meetings with individual departments to gain information, encourage and train the development of risk assessments and contingency plans.
- Town Halls can be implemented to mass brief the requirements and common information that must be shared with a wide audience.
- Online presentations can be made available to all for self-study or reference.
- Regular, short and intensive in-person training on EOC operations.
- Regular, short and intensive Tabletop Exercises to discuss (and develop) EOC contingencies.
- Short intensive drills to embed processes and protocols in EOC staff, and short tabletop exercises to socialise and further develop contingencies.
- Validation exercises based on emergency scenarios, together with authorities, to ensure buy-in at the municipal level.
-
How To Deal With Deadly Lightning During An Event
These 7 steps to lightning safety follow guidelines used by the National Center for Spectator Sports Safety and Security (ncs4.com), and the Event Safety Alliance (eventsafetyalliance.org).
They should be part of your Emergency Action Plan. If you don’t have an Emergency Action Plan, get in touch with me.
- Identify minimum safe evacuation radius. 8 miles or 13 km is considered the absolute minimum. Don’t worry about the flash-to- bang time or counting in an attempt to determine distance.
Your goal is to complete the evacuation before the storm reaches this distance. - Be flexible with the minimum safe evacuation radius.
Account for audience sizes, evacuation routes, shelter etc. Increasing it to 10 miles or 16 km gives you more time to secure the venue. - Identify dangerous places.
These are lighting towers, scaffolding structures, tents, cherry pickers etc. You must move people away from these areas to safe structures. - Identify safe structures.
These are cars, buses and buildings with plumbing or electrical wiring. Once inside a safe area, don’t touch any metal objects such as window frames, faucets etc. - Designate a weather officer to monitor weather conditions.
This person should have contact with a professional meteorologist. Their main responsibilities are:
– to keep eyes and ears to the sky,
– to be the liaison with a professional meteorologist or service,
– and to communicate any weather threats to staff and persons-in-charge. - Have a Lightning Safety Plan.
This contains communications protocols for:
– notification of lightning risk,
– lightning threat,
– and lightning evacuation.
This is part of your Emergency Action Plan - Provide lighting safety and first aid training for all staff.
Your staff should understand the Emergency Action Plan before an event begins.
When lightning is forecast for the day of your event, the weather officer and command staff should use any or all means to communicate the possibility of threatening weather to the visitors, and the safety precautions that will take place if needed before bad weather hits the event.
Remember: communicating with your visitors saves lives!
- Identify minimum safe evacuation radius. 8 miles or 13 km is considered the absolute minimum. Don’t worry about the flash-to- bang time or counting in an attempt to determine distance.
-
Event First Aid Kit
Whenever I’m on an event, I look into the first aid kit that’s hopefully already on site… and then I send the runner to get the stuff that’s missing.
Because there’s always something missing…
And I’ll let you in on a little known secret. Almost always, I’ll find dressing materials that are out of date. I mean way out of date, like years. This stuff isn’t sterile anymore and if you use it, you might cause more harm by infection than doing good.
Because we in the event industry work in a high hazard environment (due to the construction-like nature of event builds) we need to have specific sizes of first aid kit on site. And please keep in mind that I’m only talking about the build and derig phases of an event in this post. As soon as you have audience present, the requirements change drastically as explained here.
We also need first aid trained personnel and I’ve written about that here.
As a general requirement, first aid kits have to be easily accessible. Not buried under boxes or clutter and not under lock and key. It can be stored in the production office and ideally, you’ll have a sign outside of the office that tells staff here’s a first aid kit.
The sign should look like this:
Staff should also be made aware of the location in the site safety induction.
Each first aid kit comes with a list of materials that are supposed to be inside. These contents are defined in 2 European industry norms according to the size of the first aid kit.
Small first aid kit for up to 10 employees
A small first aid kit shouldn’t cost more than 45$. The contents are defined in a European industry norm called DIN 13157 as follows:
- 1 adhesive plaster roll, 5 m x 2.5cm (DIN 13019-A)
- 8 adhesive dressings, 10 x 6cm (DIN 13019)
- 4 finger cap dressings, 4 x 7cm
- 4 quick-fix adhesive dressings, 12 x 2cm (DIN 13019-E)
- 4 plaster strips waterproof, 1.9 x 7.2 cm
- 8 plaster strips waterproof, 2.5 x 7.2 cm
- 1 pack of dressings DIN 13151-K, individual sterile
- 3 packs of dressings DIN 13151-M, individual sterile
- 1 pack of dressings DIN 13151-G, individual sterile
- 1 dressing sheet, 60 x 80 cm, individual sterile (DIN 13152-A)
- 3 packs of wound pads, 10 x 10cm, set of two, sterile
- 2 eye compresses, 5.6 x 7.2cm, individually sealed
- 1 instant ice pack
- 1 rescue blanket silver/gold, 160 x 210cm
- 2 fixing bands 6 cm, cellophane wrapped (DIN 61634-FB 6)
- 2 fixing bands 8cm, cellophane wrapped (DIN 61634-FB 8)
- 2 triangular bandages, non-woven fabric (DIN 13168-D)
- 1 pair of scissors (DIN 58279-B 190)
- 2 foil bags, 30 x 40cm
- 5 non-woven cloths, 20 x30cm
- 4 vinyl gloves (DIN EN 455)
- 1 instruction leaflet on first aid for accidents
Large first aid kit for staff from 11 up to 50 employees
A large first aid kit shouldn’t cost more than 156 $. The contents are defined in a European industry norm called DIN 13169 as follows:
- 2 adhesive plaster roll, 5 m x 2.5cm (DIN 13019-A)
- 16 adhesive dressings, 10 x 6cm (DIN 13019)
- 8 finger cap dressings, 4 x 7cm
- 8 quick-fix adhesive dressings, 12 x 2cm (DIN 13019-E)
- 8 plaster strips waterproof, 1.9 x 7.2 cm
- 16 plaster strips waterproof, 2.5 x 7.2 cm
- 2 pack of dressings DIN 13151-K, individual sterile
- 6 packs of dressings DIN 13151-M, individual sterile
- 2 pack of dressings DIN 13151-G, individual sterile
- 2 dressing sheet, 60 x 80 cm, individual sterile (DIN 13152-A)
- 6 packs of wound pads, 10 x 10cm, set of two, sterile
- 4 eye compresses, 5.6 x 7.2cm, individually sealed
- 2 instant ice pack
- 2 rescue blanket silver/gold, 160 x 210cm
- 4 fixing bands 6 cm, cellophane wrapped (DIN 61634-FB 6)
- 4 fixing bands 8cm, cellophane wrapped (DIN 61634-FB 8)
- 4 triangular bandages, non-woven fabric (DIN 13168-D)
- 1 pair of scissors (DIN 58279-B 190)
- 4 foil bags, 30 x 40cm
- 10 non-woven cloths, 20 x30cm
- 8 vinyl gloves (DIN EN 455)
- 1 instruction leaflet on first aid for accidents
So now you know what’s supposed to be inside a first aid kit and you can buy the right kind depending on your needs. Remember to look at the expiration dates at least every 6 months or before a major event and to keep your first aid kit accessible.
-
8 Ways To Slash Your Event Insurance Quote By Up To 37% (plus a surprise at the end!)
Event Insurers want your money…period. They will try to put your event risk level as high as possible to get the maximum they can out of your budget. So here are 6 ways to avoid that and keep your budget intact.
- Do Your Homework
By that I mean doing an event specific risk assessment. Yes I know it’s bit of work but it proves to your insurer that you are serious about reducing the amount of risk they have to insure. - Inform Your Insurer
Let your insurer know you are doing everything possible to reduce the risk for them. Send them your safety management plans, site layout and, you guessed it, your risk assessment. Anything that shows them you are a professional and you are keeping risk at a minimum. - Qualifications
Send your insurer your qualifications as a professional as well as the qualifications of your key personnel. This way they know that the event is being built by people that know what they’re doing. - Permits
Show your insurer that your event has been inspected by authorities and that they deem the event to be safe by issuing a permit. Include special permits for fireworks or laser shows. - Reduce Hazards
Look at the activities you’ll be doing and see if you can do them in a safer way so that the risk level of something happening goes down. For example: You’re having fireworks. By using a reputable fireworks company, increasing the distance to the fireworks or using non flammable decorations, you’ve reduced the risk of a fire breaking out. - Shop Around
I know this is a no brainer, but get at least three quotes using the above mentioned and you’ll see which insurer is willing to give you the best value for your money. - Negotiate
Once you’ve done any or all of the above you’re in a great bargaining position to talk to your insurer about reducing your insurance premium. And you’ve saved your budget! - Get an event safety advisor to at least look at your set up. With an expert eye, they’ll see things you haven’t and most likely stop something bad happening.
Bonus tip:
Up till now we’ve only talked about insuring individual events. Here’s the thing…the same goes for your company’s insurance policies. You can use the same tips to reduce your yearly insurance costs. I know many event agencies that did and they reduced their insurance costs by up to 37%. So get out there and start talking to your insurer and let the money saving begin.
Now you have my best tips to reducing your event insurance costs. If you want to find out more about event safety, crowd safety and my online trainings click here.
- Do Your Homework
-
7 Event Insurance Myths To Be Aware Of
What insurance companies are really selling.
I remember when there used to be insurance salesmen that would go door to door selling a whole bunch of different insurances. And they did sell on the promise of protecting you against storm, theft or accidents. But does insurance protect you against anything? Yes and no. Insurance can protect you against the financial repercussions of an incident. Insurance cannot protect you from the incident itself. But this is exactly what insurance salesmen would make you believe. Now we don’t have insurance salesmen going door to door anymore, but we do have the online sales pitches.
What this all boils down to is that inexperienced event managers think they don’t have to do much about event safety. Why? they bought event insurance. So they think everything is taken care of. Well, it isn’t.
Event insurance only comes into play after an incident.
Or did you ever see an insurance representative on your event before something happened? I’ve never seen that. Once you’ve bought insurance, you won’t hear from them either. Unless of course, something happened. Then the process of claiming your insurance starts and that’s another can of worms I won’t open here.
The most common event insurance myths.
So let’s look at these common misconceptions. I didn’t include the obvious like hidden details in the fine print etc. Just the ones you probably aren’t aware of.
Myth #1: Event insurance reduces the amount of risk you are taking.
Truth: No, this is the event manager’s job.Myth #2: Event insurance protects you from loss of reputation.
Truth: No, this is an uninsurable risk.
Myth #3: Event insurance covers your suppliers.
Truth: No, they need their own insurance.
Myth #4: Event insurance protects you from bad weather.
Truth: How could this even be possible? Nobody can predict the damages from a storm.
Myth #5: Event insurance protects against clients changing their minds.
Truth: Again, this is an uninsurable risk.
Myth #6: Event insurance protects you against criminal intent.
Truth: No insurance in the world will prevent a criminal act.
Myth #7: Event insurance covers damage to your own belongings.
Truth: No, it doesn’t. You’re only protected against claims from third parties.
Think about it. When has car insurance protected anyone from having a traffic accident? Never…or health insurance protected anyone from serious health issues? Never.
Event insurance only protects you and your company from carrying all the costs resulting from these situations. But if you can’t prove you reduced the risk of the accident happening to a reasonable level (you define what that is) your insurance won’t cover you.
So what do you do now?
You need to carry out your duty of care. That means you as the event manager do everything you can to keep your event safe. And if you don’t know how then you call in experts that do know-how. We Event Safety Experts are on your side trying to reduce the risk of anything happening at your event. This is like having event insurance that does protect you from harm!
Save money on your insurance premium
When you prevent accidents from happening by reducing risk, your insurance premium gets cheaper. And it’s for the simple reason that the risk your insurer has to cover is reduced.
In my next post, I’ll show you how to save money on event insurance.