Vendor Insurance

Like most venues, we require that any vendor or event professional who will be entering our property on an event day provide us with a Certificate of Additional Insured (COAI). As a business owner you are in responsible for the work you and your team do, which includes keeping a safe environment and avoiding accidents. Sometimes accidents do happen and people get hurt and/or property gets damaged. That's where general liability insurance comes in handy – it helps protect your business financially if someone sues you due to accident or negligence involving your team.

Since the accident would have taken place on our property, our business would also get sued. When that happens there is a cost incurred for legal defense and any damages that may be awarded to the victim. A COAI is a certificate issued by your commercial insurance company that grants us access to your general liability insurance. In the event you or your employees were to cause an injury or damage on our property, we'd need file a claim with your insurance carrier to help mitigate our financial exposure. If a COAI isn't in place, we'd have to file a claim with our insurance for an accident your team caused, which would cause undue hardship to our business. 

Asking vendors to provide the venue with a COAI is a very common practice for good reasons. See below on how to get a COAI and other frequently asked questions about insurance. 

*Please note we are not attorneys or insurance agents and nothing on this page is intended to be legal advice. 
*Email certificates to [email protected]

How to Get A COAI

If you already have a commercial general liability policy, it's pretty easy to request a COAI. You can email your broker or they may have provided you with a website to request one. You'll need to provide them with our name and address to put on the certificate. 

To get in the directory go ahead and list both venues. Most carriers will do it on one certificate, some may split it up:
              High Spirits Hospitality, LLC
              Events at Judson Mill, LLC
              The 405 Venue, LLC
              PO Box 465
              Greenville, SC 29602

If you are just working a one-time event, you could list the venue you are working at:
            Events at Judson Mill:                                           The 405:
              High Spirits Hospitality, LLC                                  High Spirits Hospitality, LLC 
              Events at Judson Mill, LLC                                     The 405 Venue, LLC
              PO Box 465                                                              PO Box 465
              Greenville, SC 29602                                             Greenville, SC 29602

Here is the link to a Sample COAI. A few things to note:
  • We must be named as an additional insured, not just a Certificate Holder. There is typically a box checked off in the "ADDL INSR" Column, or the carrier will note it in the Description of Operations. If one of those isn't complete we will reject the certificate. 
  • You cannot edit a blank certificate yourself! This is considered insurance fraud, please ask your agent or carrier to do it. 
  • Certificates must be signed by your agent. 
  • We will be notified if you cancel your policy, so if you intend to purchase a policy and then cancel it after we will remove your listing unless you submit a new COAI. 
  • Make sure your policy is indicating General Liability Insurance, not just Professional Liability Insurance, they are different things. 

Frequently Asked Questions

Why do you require General Liability Insurance?
First of all, let’s talk about what general liability insurance, or “GL” is.  GL is a business insurance policy that protects a company’s assets and pays for medical payments, property damage, and other damages if someone is hurt due to an employee’s negligence or accident. GL also covers the cost of your legal defense and any settlement involved with these cases.

As a venue, we of course have liability insurance that covers us if, say, someone slips on a puddle that our staff fails to clean up. However, if the catering staff knocks over a pitcher of water and doesn't clean it up, then most likely their company along with our venue would be held liable for any medical payments and possible lawsuits.

We ask to be named as an additional insured on the vendor’s policy so that if the vendor cause an accident or damage, their insurance company will automatically cover our attorney fees and damages. We live in a litigious society, and if there is any kind of injury on the property, regardless of who is at fault, our venue is most likely going to be sued along with the vendor at fault. If your vendor doesn't have insurance, we end up on the hook for something we didn't cause. General liability insurance will also help us recover damages due to lost business. If there is a fire in the building and we have to cancel the wedding for the following day, that vendor's insurance will be able to compensate that couple for the inconvenience. 

Which vendors need insurance?
Accidents happen to the best of us. We require any vendor who is working in our space, professional or not, to provide us with a COAI. This includes your caterer, photographer, baker, musician, event planner, florist, etc.

There are a few exceptions to the rule:
  • Officiants​
  • Amateur Acoustic Musicians who ARE NOT plugging into a power source. These musicians must have their own completely portable amplification system. To qualify as an amateur, they cannot receive payment for their services.
  • Bakers or Florists who are not coming on-site do not have to submit a COAI for a one-time event, as long as the Client is picking up their goods and bringing them to the site. This exemption is NOT valid for other food items that are considered hazardous. If the Baker & Florist is delivering, or wishes to be listed in our directory, they need insurance. 

Where can I buy insurance?
There are dozens of commercial insurance brokers in the Upstate, and numerous websites that sell policies as well. We recommend:
What kind of insurance do I need?
We require that all vendors have General Liability Insurance. While there are dozens of types of insurance coverages out there, general liability is what covers accidents and damages. 

If you have employees, it's certainly recommended (and required by state law if you have more than 4 employees), that you also have worker's compensation insurance. Some vendors have Professional Liability Insurance. While that's a great coverage, it's not the same as general liability, so you'd need to purchase an additional policy. 

Can I charge my Client for the cost of the insurance policy?
You certainly can if you like, but you'd need to disclose it before they sign a contract. 

What happens if I don't turn in a COAI?
It's simple really, we just cannot allow a vendor in one of our venues who hasn't submitted a COAI. There are no exceptions to this policy. If you show up on the event day and haven't done this at least 7 days in advance, we will ask you to leave. The staff working the venues on event days are not trained in the document review process and cannot approve you, all approval must happen by our planning team at least 7 days in advance. You can click here to email your certificate.

How much does insurance cost?
Insurance rates will vary based on the type of company you operate and the amount of revenue you earn. While one-day insurance is certainly an option, it's often not that much more to get an annual policy that will cover you 365 days a year. Insurance for caterers can be as cheap as $40 a month. Photographers can be $60 for a one-day policy, or just $130 for an entire year. Do your research before purchasing a one-day insurance policy, you'll be surprised at how affordable insurance can be. 

Where can I learn more?
If you still have questions about insurance, check out these articles below. 

Main Office

High Spirits Hospitality
701 Easley Bridge Road, Suite 4010
Greenville, SC 29611​

Events at Judson Mill and The 405 Venue are divisions of High Spirits Hospitality.