Venue booking
Many venues will not confirm a booking, or release the keys, until they have the certificate. Ask the venue what date they need it by.
EVENT INSURANCE
Council and Venue Insurance Requirements for Events
The booking form asks for a $20 million public liability certificate of currency with the council noted as an interested party, and you have been asked to sort it out. This page explains what each of those words means, when the certificate is needed, and exactly what to send us.
$20MWhat many councils and venues ask for
Interested partyHow the council is usually shown on the certificate
Set-up to pack-downThe period the certificate must cover
90 daysHow far ahead to aim to have cover sorted
Premiums and outcomes described are specific to this client and indicative only. Your own terms will depend on your circumstances and the insurer.
THE SHORT ANSWER
What insurance do councils and venues need before they approve an event booking?
Councils and many Australian venues ask event hirers for $20 million public liability insurance, shown on a certificate of currency, usually with the council or venue noted as an interested party. The certificate is a one-page summary from the insurer confirming who is insured, the limit and the dates of cover, and it needs to cover set-up and pack-down as well as the event day. Venues use it to approve bookings, and councils may ask for it with permit or grant applications, so it is often needed weeks before the event. Some councils accept $10 million for events on their own land but require $20 million for road closures.
If you have been handed this job without an insurance background, start with the table below. It translates the words on the booking form.
- Usual limit
- $20 million
- Proof required
- Certificate of currency
- Council shown as
- Interested party
- Dates covered
- Set-up, event and pack-down
Our events specialist
Shaneel Gounden
Account Executive
$20 million public liability is the limit many councils, council venues and other Australian venues ask for, although some accept $10 million. In his career, Shaneel has not seen higher limits required, even for large festivals.
Previously in the Entertainment and Sports team at Marsh, placing event liability, cancellation and prize cover, then in events at Aon.
General information only. It does not take into account your objectives, financial situation or needs. Consider the relevant PDS and TMD before deciding, and cover is subject to the policy terms.
| Term | What it means | What to check |
|---|---|---|
| Public liability | Insurance that pays if someone at your event is injured, or their property is damaged, and you are legally responsible | That the policy covers the activities at your event, not just your usual business |
| $20 million | The most the policy will pay for any one incident | That the certificate shows $20,000,000 (or whatever the booking asks for) per occurrence |
| Certificate of currency | A one-page summary from the insurer confirming the cover is in place | Insured name, policy number, limit and dates of cover |
| Interested party | The council or venue's interest is noted on the policy and shown on the certificate | The exact legal name the council wants shown |
| Period of insurance | The dates the cover runs | That it includes set-up and pack-down days, not just the event day |
| Excess | The amount you pay towards a claim | Commonly around $500 to $1,000 on event public liability, in our events specialist's experience |
For more detail on the certificate itself, see what is a certificate of currency.
$20M Many councils and venues The usual requirement
$10M Some councils, events on council land Check your council's conditions
$20M Road closures Where a lower venue limit applies
If a member of the public is injured at an event on council property, the council can be drawn into the claim. Asking the organiser for public liability, with the council's interest noted, means there is a policy in place that is expected to respond to the organiser's share of the liability. That is why the certificate is a condition of the booking rather than a suggestion.
Some councils ask for the council to be noted as an interested party; others ask for cover in joint names. These are different requests, and not every policy can do both. Send us the exact wording from the booking conditions and we will confirm what the insurer can show before the certificate is issued.
Council event permit
Councils usually want the certificate with the event application. Some ask for applications at least 30 working days before the event, and longer for major events.
Road closures
Events that close roads need traffic management approval, which can take several months for major closures. The certificate is usually part of that application.
Grant funding
Councils may ask for a certificate of currency with a grant application or before releasing funds, sometimes well before the event itself.
Aim to have public liability sorted around 90 days before the event where you can. In our events specialist's experience, many insurers will not quote a single event more than about 90 days out, so if a grant or permit needs a certificate earlier than that, an annual policy is another way to secure cover early, and it can cover the organisation's other events and activities through the year.
Damage to the venue. In our events specialist's experience, damage to hired halls and venues (floors and fittings) is among the most common event liability claims. Whether one is paid depends on the facts, the hire agreement and the wording. Read the hire agreement's damage clause, and note the condition of the venue at set-up and pack-down.
Slips where the venue is at fault. Where a guest slips and the investigation finds the venue was negligent, for example because of the building's own condition, the claim falls to the venue's insurance rather than the organiser's.
Your own people. Public liability does not cover injuries to the organiser, staff or volunteers. Associations that run on volunteers often consider voluntary workers personal accident. See community and association events.
Indemnity clauses. Hire agreements often ask the hirer to indemnify the council or venue. Some event liability wordings exclude these agreements unless the insurer has reviewed them, so send us the agreement with your enquiry.
The insurance clause
A copy of the booking form, hire agreement or permit conditions, so we can see exactly what the council or venue asks for.
The exact name to note
The council's or venue's full legal name as they want it shown as interested party.
Event details
Event name, date or dates, set-up and pack-down days, and the venue address.
Who is coming
Expected attendance, and whether people will be seated or standing.
What will happen
Alcohol and who holds the licence, stalls, rides, amusements, fireworks, sport or anything else beyond people gathering.
The deadline
The date the certificate is due. That tells us how to prioritise the placement.
An example: a charity foundation needed $20 million public liability for a 500-guest fundraiser gala at a major Sydney venue. Serving alcohol and RSA were the venue's responsibility, not the foundation's. Two specialist event markets quoted approximately $1,400 each, including GST and stamp duty, and cover was placed. Read the charity gala case study, or see one-off event public liability for what the cover does and does not include.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Council Venue Insurance FAQs
It means your organisation needs an insurance policy that can pay up to $20 million for any one incident, subject to its terms, if someone is injured or their property is damaged at your event and you are responsible. $20 million is the limit many councils, council venues and other Australian venues ask for, although some accept $10 million. You prove you have it by giving them a certificate of currency.
It is a one-page document from the insurer confirming that cover is in place, showing the insured, the limit and the dates of cover. You get one once a policy has been arranged and bound. We send it to you, and can send it straight to the venue or council if you ask.
It means the council's or venue's interest in the event is recorded on your policy and shown on the certificate. It is not the same as the council being insured in its own right, and what it does depends on the policy wording. If the booking asks for 'joint names' or for the council to be an insured, send us the exact wording so we can check it with the insurer.
Possibly, if the limit meets the requirement and the policy covers event activities. A general business policy may not cover everything that happens at an event, such as alcohol, stalls, amusements or large crowds. Send us the policy schedule and the booking conditions and we will check them against each other. The council or venue decides whether it accepts the certificate.
For a straightforward event with complete information, often quickly. Events with alcohol, large crowds, road closures or unusual activities take longer. The best approach is to aim for around 90 days before the event, and to tell us your deadline when you first get in touch.
Usually. Councils and venues generally want cover in place for the whole hire period, including set-up (bump-in) and pack-down (bump-out), not just the hours the event is open. Give us the full hire dates and times, and the policy period and certificate can be set to match.
In our events specialist's experience, damage to hired halls and venues (floors and fittings) is among the most common event liability claims. Whether one is paid depends on the facts, the hire agreement and the wording. Public liability can respond to damage you negligently cause, but property in your care may be sub-limited and ordinary wear is not covered. Read the hire agreement's damage clause before the event.
QUOTE REQUEST
Get cover for a council or venue booking
Tell us the event, dates including set-up and pack-down, the venue, expected attendance, whether alcohol is served, and the date the certificate is due. Paste in the insurance clause if you have it.
Specialist broker review Australian business insurance
Send Us the Booking Form
You do not need to know insurance to get this right. Send us the venue or council's insurance clause and your event details, and we will take it to specialist event markets, come back to you with the options available, and confirm what the certificate can show before it is issued.