Hosting events is a core part of club activity, from open meetings to training and regattas. These events bring energy, new people and opportunities - but they also introduce additional responsibility.

Events are where routine breaks down and risk increases.

We spoke to Ben Bennett, Account Director at Gallagher, the RYA’s official club insurance partner, to answer some of the most common questions clubs and affiliates have when hosting events. Please note that these frequently asked questions are not a substitute for the policy wording. For full terms and conditions please see the relevant policy documentation.

Q. If a club is hosting an event, is everything automatically covered under their existing insurance?

Not necessarily, and this is one of the most common misunderstandings.

If your club is organising and running the event, your policy will typically respond. However, that doesn’t mean everything connected to the event is automatically covered.

You need to consider:

• Who else is involved in organising or delivering the event and whether they have in place their own suitable Public Liability Insurance to cover their own risk exposures
• Whether those planned activities fall within the scope of your usual policy coverage and ensure that you have checked with your insurance provider that cover will automatically extend, or whether any increased terms will be applied

If in any doubt, it’s always worth checking with your insurance providers, rather than assuming.

Q. As event hosts, we are allowing the organisers of the activity to ‘loan/borrow’ boats from our host venue to run the activities and not providing members to act as crew/skippers. Will our insurance cover automatically extend to allow this?

Almost certainly not. It is standard practice within the marine insurance market for clubs to only permit use of club boats and equipment by members of the club, for club activities. This is the case for the Gallagher RYA Combined policy.

In this scenario, the club playing host are not providing the boats with club member crew and the event could certainly not be considered as being club activity – therefore cover will not automatically extend.

If this is the case, it is the responsibility of the ‘loaning/borrowing’ club to extend their own insurance cover for a temporary period to cover use of club boats and equipment. It is important to point out that this sort of request is commonplace within the insurance market (easily arranged as an extension under the Gallagher RYA Combined policy) and cover can generally easily be extended and, importantly, at relatively modest cost.   

Q. Whose insurance would the activity fall under the club/centre acting as the ‘host’, or that of the visiting club/group?

It is often an assumption that the ‘host’ venue carries all responsibilities for insuring events, but this is regularly not the case. It may be that the ‘host venue’ are only providing facilities and playing no role in event management – in which case liability will fall with those organisations who are running the activity.

Likewise, it may be that the host venue does take on full responsibility for hosting and managing all activities – in which case they should ensure that existing insurances will be sufficient.

Finally, it may be that two or more organisations are involved with the running of the event (including collecting entry fees and acting as a ‘host’ – in which case all parties must have in place suitable Public Liability Insurance and have ensured that they have consulted with their respective insurance providers, in advance of the event taking place.   

Q. How should clubs approach larger or more complex events?

This is where expectations are likely to increase and as stated previously, consultation with insurance providers becomes absolutely essential.

For example, larger events will almost certainly require:

• More detailed risk assessment
• A robust and structured safety plan
• Clearly defined roles/responsibilities
• Considered emergency procedures

If you’re treating a large event the same as a normal club day, that’s where problems may start, so plan ahead and consult with your advisors.

Q. Do visitors attending an event need to be members of the club?

No. Participants do not need to be members of the host club. However, anyone engaged in the delivery of duties on behalf of the host club, must always be a member of that club. Where circumstances dictate, it may be acceptable for any non-member to be granted temporary membership for the duration of the event, and this should be verified with your insurance provider.

Q. What if a club wants to take part in some different on the water activities? (stand-up paddle boarding, open water swimming, kayaking, etc.)?

From a Gallagher scheme policy perspective, this is not a problem on the strict understanding that that appropriate guidelines and regulations of the associated National Governing Body (NGB) are always followed.

We would again recommend that this is verified with your insurance provider, as the same stance may not necessarily be adopted by all insurers.

Q. What are the most common mistakes you see?

• Assumptive event management - working based on “we’ve always done it this way”, so it must be fine
• Not recognising what’s different about the event when compared to the usual calendar
• Lack of clarity over roles and responsibilities
• Not consulting with your insurance provider prior to the event

These key points aren’t difficult to fix but they do require conscious thought.

Q. What should clubs check before running an event?

• Who is the organiser?
• Are roles and responsibilities clear?
• Are all parties suitably insured?
• Are risks understood?

Q. What’s your one piece of advice?

As mentioned, a few times so far, please never assume and always check.

Hosting events is one of the best ways to grow activity. But successful events don’t happen by accident. They are planned, thought through, and clearly managed.

The better you understand what’s different about your event, the more confidently you can deliver it.

Finding suitable insurance

As the RYA’s official club insurance partner, Gallagher has been endorsed by us for over 40 years, providing specialist products to meet the needs of RYA-affiliated clubs, recognised training centres and affiliated organisations.

To find out more about how Gallagher can help you and for further insurance questions, contact the specialist RYA Gallagher team.

0800 612 2282

Request a call

Information last updated July 2026.

Royal Yachting Association is an Introducer Appointed Representative of Arthur J. Gallagher Insurance Brokers Limited which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. Registered Office: Spectrum Building, 55 Blythswood Street, Glasgow, G2 7AT. Registered in Scotland. Company Number: SC108909.