- File
Patrons run for cover after the chaos began at the Sting stage show in the wee hours of December 27, 2003.
Germaine Smith, Staff Reporter
STAGE SHOWS can be breathtaking experiences. With glitzy lights, fuzzy club smoke, 30-foot high speakers blasting thousands of watts of music power, eye-dazzling pyrotechnics, plus the performance of the artistes, shows are rather ecstatic events.
However, while they have a wild, pleasurable side, there is a sobering and sometimes tragic aspect to large-scale entertainment. When things go wrong at a show, they tend to go wrong on a large scale. Panicky patrons scampering away from gunshots inside a packed venue is a chaotic image which comes to mind when a show climaxes in pandemonium.
The last local show ending in chaos, with several patrons injured, was 'Magnum Sting', held at the Jamworld Entertainment Centre in Portmore. A combination of unruly patrons and disappointed fans resulted in a hail of bottles pelting the stage which in turn caused massive stampedes. Several patrons received injuries, and stage equipment along with venue infrastructure suffered damages.
Rather than fall flat on their faces after such disasters, some promoters have always ensured that they are prepared for any liabilities by securing insurance coverage for the event. Many are wondering, however, if with the rising cost of living whether insuring their sessions is really worth the cost.
SOFTENING THE BLOW
The benefits of getting insurance coverage for an entertainment event are many. Calamities do happen and having coverage could significantly soften a million-dollar blow to the promoter.
On the other hand, after spending hundreds of thousands of dollars to put a show together,why spend thousands or even millions more getting coverage, when there is a low possibility of an incident?
"It is something that costs a lot and it is not feasible," states Keith Brown of MKB Promotions, which handles the Heineken Startime series. "You can understand the necessity for it, though, in case anything goes wrong. The cost of putting on events now is very high. You have to pay GCT on everything you use, pay staff, pay for transportation, and a lot of these costs cannot be passed on to the customer."
With this financial burden already a reality, Brown adds that it creates a situation where the promoter has to make tough decisions. "It will do two things pass the cost on to the customer, or allow the promoter to cut corners and this is dangerous," he said. "It is becoming increasingly difficult to do this and shows of a certain calibre are feeling it. It is a Catch-22 situation. The bottom line is what the customer has to pay at the gate. I think that attention should be paid to give some form of relief to promoters."
The procedure to insure an entertainment event varies from company to company, but generally the promoter has to have dialogue with the insurance company about the type of show it will be and the type of crowd expected, among several other aspects of the show.
According to Jason Goldsmith of Globe Insurance Company, the process is detailed. "First of all, like everything else you have to know who the organisers are and the type of event they are keeping," he explains. "Will it be a dancehall event, or a jazz event, or a vintage show? We would want to know these, because these events draw a particular type of crowd."
"Location is important as well. We look on if it is an area which is safe, whether or not it will disturb the public, or there is potential damage to people's property."
Added to this checklist is security. Questions like whether the promoters will use an established security firm along with the police, or whether the security firm already has insurance coverage on its members have to be answered as well.
"When we look at all of that, we charge a premium for the night. We get the hours that it will last and we will make some stipulations about that as well. One stipulation we have is that no stage show must have drinks served in bottles. No weapons should be allowed there as well... if we get the answers we want, then we price it," Goldsmith said.
PRICE NEGOTIABLE
This price, he notes, is not something which is set in stone. "How expensive it is varies from event to event. You have to look at each case and weigh them very differently," he said.
A representative of Dyoll Insurance Company says that it is best for promoters to get an
insurance broker to sort out the best deal for them, as the process may be tedious.
"For entertainment, we classify it as public liability. That is any incident where the promoter may be found negligent and has to pay money. Public liability applies to car damages, civil commotion and incidents like that," she explains. "Public liability coverage will start as low as $2 million, but for entertainment events you may want to go higher... This is just to safeguard the promoter, depending on how exposed he will be."
After spending time and effort detailing these to an insurance company or a broker, the promoter should have greater peace of mind, even though his profit margin may be slashed.
That profit margin may be cut just too much for some promoters' liking. "It is not profitable," states Roderick Reid of Another Level Entertainment Management (ALEM). "For some promoters, they see it as the public knowing that they are at a public place and they are there at their own risk, so they don't chance the insurance. I think the promoter should provide a reasonable amount of security and comfort for his show, but you cannot guarantee some things. You can't foresee a man who decides to beat his woman, or if two men decide to fight suddenly. These are independent of the promoter."
Reid adds that in the past, his company has spent a pretty penny on insurance and no incidents have happened. This have left him thinking about money he could have saved.
Insuring an entertainment event, it seems, is comparable to insuring your home. You may be living without coverage for years, but at the moment when you least expect it disaster strikes. Preparation can never be a bad thing, but in hard times it takes cash to be cautious.
