CANADIAN PROFESSIONAL DISC JOCKEY ASSOCIATION

Inspiring all DJs through Education, Networking and Support

Save Yourself The Insurance Headache

February 04, 2020 3:13 PM | Deleted user

All of your suppliers, including the DJ and/or MC should at the very least, hold public liability insurance. A significant number of wedding reception establishments will require that any contractor/vendor who enters their premises provide evidence of current public liability insurance. If it cannot be provided, that particular supplier will most likely be refused access due to the potential risk it represents to the venue. If your venue has this requirement and you have hired a DJ that does not have public liability insurance, you are often left with one of the two following options;

1) Source another DJ who has current liability insurance, or

2) Personally arrange public liability insurance coverage for your selected DJ.

Unfortunately, both of these options are far from ideal.

In the first option, you probably selected a particular DJ because there was a connection; they can deliver exactly what you are after and/or are within your budget. Because the DJ does not have insurance, you are now placed into a situation where you have to repeat the search process to source a suitable replacement DJ – one that has current public liability insurance.

Depending on when the venue informs you of this requirement (often the week of the event) there may not be sufficient time to secure an acceptable replacement; you may be left with little or no choice and this is an unneeded and unnecessary stress in the final days leading up to your wedding or event.

Personally arranging public liability insurance coverage in order to avoid the situation outlined in the previous point will mean you will be at the mercy of the insurance companies and as a once off customer, requiring insurance for one night only, do you think the insurance company is going to give you a great deal? Probably not. You will likely be charged a hefty premium and the closer to the event, the larger this premium might become.


How do you avoid this situation?

Determine if your venue requires that any contractor/vendor who enters their premises needs current public liability insurance. Make this determination PRIOR to booking any service providers (including your DJ) that will be required to be on the premises before, on or after the day of your celebration.

Prior to booking your entertainment (or other supplier), ensure that they have appropriate insurance. You might pay a little more for a supplier that does, but this is an indication that the supplier is a professional and takes their role seriously – no true professional would be without liability insurance, it is just not worth the risk.

Further, you may find that the more expensive supplier could ultimately be a less costly option than if you engaged a cheaper supplier and had to personally cover them for public liability insurance yourself.

It isn't a glamorous topic, but save yourself the insurance headache wherever possible and hire properly insured event professionals.

Note: Public Liability Insurance is the minimum requirement you should be checking for as it protects the client, the venue and the supplier. However many professional DJs also hold other insurances such as Professional Indemnity, Personal Accident or Equipment Insurance. These are also indicators of someone who treats their profession and the events they’re hired for, most seriously.

---

To find your next event DJ, search the Canadian Professional Disc Jockey Association Find a DJ member database. Basic searches can be completed by region/city or advanced searches by event, music, performance and spoken language specialty can also be performed.

All blog content supported by our incredible DJ members and valued Allied Members:








Canadian Professional Disc Jockey Association

1085 Water Street

Peterborough, Ontario K9H 3P7

(833) CPDJA DJ

Powered by Wild Apricot Membership Software