INSURANCE.
APRIL | SECTOR FOCUS
Terrorism is throwing up new insurance dilemmas,
and improper planning can make situations worse
THE INSURER’S ANGLE
Responsibility is at the heart
of insurance disputes, and a
stark example is given by Luker
Rowe Chartered Insurance
Brokers’ Peter Tilsed, who for
40 years, has specialised in the
trade, av and events industry,
recently examining the
terrorism threat.
“Who’s liable? Is a key
questions. I was at a stadium in
Cardiff where they took the view
that they should scan everyone
but they didn’t have enough
staff to do it. People get there
early, and outside each gate you
have a thousand people all of
a sudden. This ironically is an
ideal terror target and possibly
far worse than what could’ve
happened in the stadium. Would
organiser’s be liable should an
attack happen at this moment?
Possibly. Injury to public and
their own employees is a risk.”
Tilsed advises organisers to
do their own risk assessment,
because prevention is better
than cure. Insurance comes in
when something goes wrong.
“Commercial insurance doesn’t
include terrorism, but while
attacks were previously in city
centres, now they’re anywhere.
It’s changing all the time and so
are the insurance implications.
During [recent terror attack site]
Borough Market, there was no
actual damage. But, the terror
attack could be the end of your
business, aside from the human
cost.”
THE HEAD OF PRODUCTION
There is a lot of paper work
before the festival is built, and
this is crucial for insurance
purposes, says Dave Steele,
head of production, Isle of Wight
Festival.
“When Manchester happened
your whole life changes. We got
a call from promoters asking:
‘What are we going to do?’.
Never has an incident galvanised
the industry more.”
Organisers have the visitor
experience to consider. “You
must assess plans, and ask
if they are too onerous, or
too weak? My initial counter
terrorism strategy was lauded,
but later I realised it was not
specific enough, and the one
critic I had was right. So we
worked on a tighter plan.
“At the Isle of Wight,
we benefit by being on an
island. The ferry port makes
referencing people easier. On the
mainland you can apply checks
and have pinch points, and off
site accreditation.”
The style of terror attack is
also changing. “The London
Bridge attack was a vehicular
scenario, so on site at the festival
every vehicle was searched, back
doors opened. But we found
people trying to get in without
accreditation. The search opened
up new avenues and benefits.”
THE SECURITY SPECIALIST
Risk prevention strategies are
changing in line with new terror
methods. General manager
of The Event & Exhibition
Partnership Garry Jupp says:
““I’m realistic, we could make
your event 100% secure, but
you’d never get anyone in. Look
at the whole cycle from opening
to breakdown.
“A 100% bag search may sound
sensible, but when I asked a
planner what he was looking for,
he was unsure.
Remember, you’re a customer,
and the police are a supplier
and they don’t always have the
right answer., they will give you
a range of options, but they will
come at a cost. They can’t make
you accept certain resources.
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