Events from 50 to 3,000 attendees
Private events, weddings, corporate gatherings and festivals in attendee bands from under fifty to three thousand, single events or repeat and annual events.
Special Event Insurance in California
Special event insurance for weddings, festivals, corporate gatherings and private events. Get a quote in minutes and covered in days.
We shop the market for you, no broker fees
Eight relevant markets are shown for comparison. Availability depends on the risk and location, and a logo does not imply a direct appointment.
Green Shield
Special events to 3,000 attendees
Blitz
Special events to 1,000 attendees and five days
Thimble
On-demand special event liability to five days
LIO
Sporting and non-sporting special events
Markel
Special event liability
Philadelphia Insurance Companies
Events and entertainment programs
Kinsale
Excess and surplus event liability
Great American
Specialty event casualty
What the event market writes in California
Liability sized to the venue's demand
Venues require it, and the market delivers: per occurrence limits matching the venue's certificate requirements, with setup and takedown days included.
Alcohol and hours drive the price
Whether alcohol is served and when the event ends, before midnight, one a.m. or two a.m., are the two questions that move the premium the most.
One policy, one event
Single event terms with terrorism coverage offered, covering the event day plus setup and takedown, so a venue certificate is satisfied without an annual policy nobody needed.
How it works
10 minute form
A few questions about your business or home.
We shop the market
We compare carriers and read the forms line by line.
Quote and bind
We pick the best policy and get you covered.
The venue wants a certificate, not an explanation
An event may have been in planning for months before a single missing document delays it. Every venue asks for the same thing: a certificate naming them, with limits they specify, before the doors open.
Attendee bands price the event
From under fifty attendees to three thousand in bands, and the band matters more than the headcount: a two hundred person event in the wrong band pays the thousand person price.
Alcohol is the second question
Whether alcohol is served, and by whom, changes both eligibility and price, and a venue will ask before the market does.
The clock matters
Events ending before midnight write cleanest, one a.m. and two a.m. endings each add, because the claims happen after the bar stops serving.
Written for California events, including:
- Weddings and private events
- Corporate gatherings
- Festivals and community events
- Repeat and annual events
- Events to 3,000 attendees
- Alcohol service with review
What changes your premium
There is no flat rate for this coverage. These are the inputs a carrier prices against, and they are the same things the quote form asks you for.
- Attendee band, from 0-50 to 2001-3000
- Alcohol served or not
- Event end time: before midnight, 1 or 2 a.m.
- Single event or repeat and annual
- Setup and takedown days
Questions we get asked
Does the venue require this?
Almost always. Venues name themselves on the policy and specify limits, and the certificate has to reach them before the doors open.
Does it cover alcohol service?
Alcohol is one of the rating questions: served or not, and when the event ends, because late service with alcohol is where event claims concentrate.
Are setup and takedown covered?
Yes, the policy can include the setup and takedown days around the event, not just the event itself.
Can an annual series be covered?
Yes, repeat and annual events have their own form, usually cheaper per event than single policies bought twelve times.
How big can the event be?
Attendee bands run from under fifty to two thousand one to three thousand attendees; larger events are placed market by market.
Can you write this where my business is?
We are currently licensed in California only. Start a quote if the business or risk is in California, and we will confirm eligibility before you spend time on it.
What actually happens after I start a quote?
You answer a short set of questions, and a licensed broker at Menlo reads them, maps your operation to a class, and shops it with the carriers we are appointed with. There is no instant bind and no black box. You talk to a person before anything is quoted.
Get it placed by someone who reads the fine print
Start a quote and a licensed broker takes it from there, or talk to one now.