Event Insurance 101:
An essay on the business behind “show” business
By Dee Griffin
Ken Evans is the CEO of Enterprise
Insurance located at 3112 O Street, Suite 2 in Sacramento, California. Everyone
knows that Ken is the person to go to for your automotive and commercial
insurance needs. But, there is another insurance need that many musicians and
promoters are being confronted with when they want on put on a show or concert,
EVENT INSURANCE. This sometimes
comes as shock to young promoters seeking venues for various events. Groups are
sometimes surprised that the venue itself doesn’t carry this insurance and the
price of the event insurance can sometimes be an obstacle that prevents the
show from going on. According to Ken,” Insurance is a necessity to have when
you are throwing an event. It protects the people coming to the event; it
protects the performers, the event staff and location itself.” Ken and his
staff underwrite Event Insurance for many types of music from country to rap.
Event Insurance for a rap concert
can cost considerably more than that of a jazz concert. Rap is considered one
of the highest of risks of course because of the violence connected with it. We
see it in videos, we hear it in the songs and some of the hip hop artists pretty
much portray that lifestyle. Rock and Heavy Metal is priced like Rap as well.
Any type of entertainment that expresses violence, whether it be physical (
mosh pits ) or verbal, it’s going cost a lot more, says Ken. Ken and his staff
have written event insurance for such acts as Snoop Dogg, Master P, Too Short,
50 cent, Keak Da Sneak, Juvenille, E-40 and Drake. According to Ken the best
way to get the cost of Event Insurance for rap concerts down is for rap artists
as a whole to keep the violent tone in the lyrics down. Ken also suggests,” ….come
(to the concert) mentally prepared to have fun. You can’t come to a concert
thinking if someone steps on my shoes, it’s done or let me take some protection
(Guns) in case some funk jumps off. We’ve got to change our mode of partying
and what we bring to party with. A rapper with a reputation for promoting
violence will have that high risk stigma follow their act into the event
insurance world just like a bad driving record that leads to an increased insurance
premium. There are only about eight insurance companies nationally who write event or special event insurance.
Northern California is fortunate in that Ken Evans and Enterprise Insurance is
right here in our own backyard.
Click here for event application!
