Strawberry Teas and Charities

Major sporting events may be able to plan for alternative arrangements if the weather takes a turn for the worse, says Sophie Earland, charity insurance executive, but charities and not-for-profit organisations need to consider insuring themselves against the losses of an event being cancelled. 
 
The Wimbledon Tennis Championships this summer captivated tennis fans across the globe, whilst serving up around 54,000 tennis balls, 140,000 bowls of strawberries, 10,000 litres of cream and even 5,000 bananas for players to top up their energy levels between games.
 
What is less well-known is whether or not Wimbledon has event insurance to protect itself against the unpredictable British weather. Back in 2004, it came to light that tournament organisers had stopped buying insurance to protect against poor weather which interrupted or stopped play. They chose instead to run the risk of having to pay out a full refund to ticket-holders, should they see less than an hour’s play and refund half the ticket price should holders see less than two and a half hours’ play.
 
In 2006, when they faced a £1m payout due to rain, it was said that they were insured. Since 2009, of course, Centre Court’s retractable roof has reduced the likelihood of Sir Cliff Richard singing ‘Summer Holiday’ to the crowds whilst the rain pours down, so the decision-making may again have been reversed.
 
Whilst for larger or privately-owned commercial organisations event insurance is a standard, for   those charitable organisations who organise events and who are dependent on good weather, insurance can often be seen as a significant drain on already tight budgets.  This is why there is a range of event insurance options available for charities of all sizes and which can cover a wide range and type of events.
 
If you wish to be certain you are protecting your event, and have no retractable roof to make use of, please get in touch to discuss our event insurance options.