Exhibition Insurance
Perth, Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane & Canberra

An exhibition brings together an organiser, venue, exhibitors, installers and visitors, with responsibilities changing across the schedule. Explain whether your business organises the exhibition, manages the venue or participates as an exhibitor. Describe the objects or products displayed, including valuable, fragile or operational items. Include loading, storage, installation, public access and return transport. A display of artworks differs from a trade exhibition demonstrating machinery, so the broker needs the actual content and activities. Identify who owns the exhibits and who accepts responsibility while they are on the stand, in storage or being moved.

Consider the temporary structures and services around the display. Stands, lighting, screens, power supplies, signage and hired furniture may be supplied by several contractors. Explain who designs and installs them and whether demonstrations or audience participation occur. Identify equipment left overnight and any restrictions on venue access. Ask how the proposed cover treats exhibits, hired property, third-party allegations and any cancellation options being considered. Property cover for an exhibitor should not be assumed to protect the organiser’s financial commitments, and the venue’s arrangements should not be assumed to insure every item brought into the exhibition hall.

Bring venue terms, exhibitor agreements, stand-builder contracts and transport arrangements to the review. Identify responsibility for damage, installation, storage, insurance and removal of items after closing. Retain the final layout and approved changes, especially where an exhibit needs unusual access or support. If an owner lends an object, clarify valuation, condition, authorised handling and the period of responsibility. Seek appropriate advice on indemnities or commitments that appear broader than the available insurance. A brief booking confirmation may not contain all the terms, so include schedules and documents incorporated into the agreement.

Prepare an inventory appropriate to the exhibition, with values, ownership and identifying details where relevant. Condition photographs on arrival and departure can help establish when damage may have occurred. Keep packing instructions, courier acknowledgements and installer records connected to the correct exhibit. For the organiser, maintain the event budget and supplier commitments separately from exhibitors’ property schedules. Describe security and access arrangements as they will operate during setup and overnight periods, not only while visitors are present. Accurate information supports underwriting and later assessment, although the policy’s valuation and settlement provisions still determine how an accepted property claim would be treated.

If an exhibit is damaged, restrict further handling and obtain appropriate technical or conservation advice. Record its condition, location and the activity underway when the damage was discovered. Preserve packaging and relevant movement records where useful and safe. Contact the broker or insurer about assessment and proposed repair before authorising substantial work where circumstances permit. If a visitor is injured, prioritise assistance and preserve factual accounts and layout information. Keep the owner’s demand, repair estimate and effect on exhibition operations distinguishable. Those issues can involve different parties and policy sections even when they arise from the same incident.

Review the exhibition arrangements when dates, venues, displays or demonstrations change. A new high-value loan or an operating product demonstration can alter the exposure substantially. Update peak values and consider the availability of replacement equipment, specialist handlers and alternative storage. Maintain contact details for owners and exhibitors outside the only system used for on-site registration. Ask how insurance periods align with delivery and collection and how relevant exclusions affect the proposed displays. A precise review follows the full custody and event timeline rather than assuming that protection begins and ends with the hours the exhibition is open to the public.