iPad Photo Booth Business Insurance: What Venues Ask For

What venues, schools and companies ask for

Expect venues to ask first for a certificate of insurance (COI), typically the one-page ACORD 25, proving your general liability limits are active on the event date. Many venues also want to be named as additional insured, and sometimes the venue's management company or your client too.

Schools and booster clubs may need a COI and a W-9 together before they can pay you. Companies may add procurement forms. Hotels and convention centers sometimes ask for a waiver of subrogation or primary and non-contributory wording.

Ask about insurance requirements when the booking comes in, not the week of the event. Offering COIs at no charge when requested at least 10 days ahead keeps it routine.

The policies an iPad operator needs

• General liability. Covers injury to guests and damage to venue property. A rough example range for a small operator is $400 to $1,000 a year, and monthly or per-event options exist.
• Equipment (inland marine). Covers your iPads, enclosure, lights and printer against theft or damage away from home. Standard business property coverage often stops at your door.
• Hired and non-owned auto. For the times you or an attendant use a personal car for business.
• Workers' compensation once you have W-2 employees.

Equipment coverage is often priced at about 1% to 3% of insured value a year. On a kit worth $1,800, that math gives $18 to $54, but policies often carry a minimum premium and a deductible of $250 to $1,000. Ask what the minimum is; on a kit this size, it may be the number you actually pay.

The iPad booth's real risks

• Stand tip-over. Use a base at least 18 inches wide and a 10 to 15 lb sandbag.
• Trips on cords. Gaffer tape and cord covers on every walkway crossing.
• Theft. A locking enclosure protects the iPad at the booth. In your car, gear stays out of sight and never stays overnight; ask whether your policy has an unattended-vehicle exclusion.
• Venue damage. Painter's tape on walls, felt pads under stand feet.
• Guest data. If your app collects emails or phone numbers, publish a privacy statement and only market to guests who opted in.

Photograph serial numbers when gear arrives. A theft claim goes much faster with them.

Questions to ask your broker

• Is the policy written for an event photo booth business, and does it list every booth type I run?
• Is my gear covered in my vehicle, at venues and stored at home?
• Is there an unattended-vehicle exclusion?
• Are 1099 attendants covered while operating my booth?
• Can I get a COI with an additional insured the same day, myself, from a portal?
• Is blanket additional insured available, so certificates don't cost extra?

When to bind it

Before your first event, including a free showcase. A sensible launch plan has the policy bound in the second week, ahead of the first test events with guests.

Save the COI as a PDF in an insurance folder, keep a printed copy in the kit for venues that ask on arrival, and review coverage every quarter. When you add a printer or a second iPad, update the equipment schedule so the new gear is actually covered.