Subcontract Equipment or Services? Then You Need Contracts For Event Planning

Contracts for Event Planning may very well save your day if the worst happens. Imagine you have an event at a local hotel. It is a corporate event for a local company and this contract will not only pay you very well, but also bring you lots of work in the future. This could be the one you have been waiting for.

It is a large affair with over 1000 guests coming, mostly VIP's and other top management and they will be having a sit down dinner and lots of great entertainment and you will be providing lights, sound and the catering!

It all sound absolutely great. Everything is going nicely and the guests start arriving. VIP after VIP taking their seats and waiting excitedly for the event to begin.

Suddenly, there is a massive crash as one of the speaker stands falls onto the table and lands right into the sitting VIP's. An ambulance is called and two of the guests are injured and taken away to the hospital. It looks like this could be a disaster for you.

Later you find out that the guests are ok, but they want to seek damages for their hospital bills and they are probably justified in wanting that.

But who is responsible?

Well there are at least 2 questions to ask:

Who supplied the equipment?
And
If it was subcontracted, do you have a contract with them?

If the equipment is your equipment, then you are liable and your insurance company will probably have to pay up the costs.

If the equipment is subcontracted you may still be liable. How so as the equipment is not yours? Surely the owner will be liable?

If you have a back-to-back contract with the owner of the equipment that states that as the owner, they will assume responsibility for all damages or claims against that specific equipment, then they will be liable. However, if you have no contract that states that they are liable, sadly to say you are, even though the equipment is not yours.

Contracts for event planning are essential, not just with the venue and the caterers, but with everyone involved in the event. You are not qualified to draft contracts (probably) so make sure that you seek professional advice about your contracts.

Did you know for example, that you may be in breach of copyright if you just download a contract from the internet and use it for your event? It is essential that your lawyer draws up your contracts for event planning.