Insurance costs threaten festivals and concerts

A GROWING number of summer festivals and concerts will be cancelled this year because of the hike in the cost of insurance cover, the Association of Irish Festival Events (AOIFE) has warned.

With premiums set to rise by up to 45%, AOIFE chairman Colm Croffy said groups or organisations planning to hold events without cover are playing Russian Roulette and are entering a legal minefield.

Mr Croffy said the cost of such cover will continue to increase until the number of claims is reduced:

“It’s the people who organise it who have a specific duty of care to protect those attending. A single claim can have a huge impact and can leave people very exposed. Nobody wants to end up in court.”

The association runs a group insurance cover for its 385 member associations which range from the organisers of the Cape Clear Storytelling Festival to the Rose of Tralee.

Those running events this year and contacting AOIFE for cover can expect to pay anything from €650 right up to €35,000.

The organisation is currently running training sessions around the country, explaining personal injury and litigation systems and informing festival and event organisers of their statutory obligations.

It also offers specific, professional advice on what to do when there is an accident or a fatality.

“Risk minimisation is critical, as is being able to retrace ones steps, note exactly what happened and, if necessary, prove to the gardaí, the coroner or whoever is investigating an incident that best practice was followed.

Thankfully, we’ve not had too many fatalities at festivals or events in Ireland.

There have been losses of life at the Point Depot during the Smashing Pumpkins Concert, at the funfair in Tramore last year and at the Pride of Erin Festival in Tipperary six years ago.

With greater vigilance, we can have even fewer fatalities,” he said.

The next AOIFE seminar runs at Mitchelstown’s Firgrove Hotel on Saturday, May 10.

Further details on [phone] or by e-mailing [e-mail]