I am a P.A. and a gold member of the SAA and for the last 5 years or so I have regularly led and tutored groups of people on art holidays both in Britain and Croatia. The holidays are very popular and very successful indeed and so far have gone without a hitch. The group members have always had individual cancellation insurance in case of illness etc. - and there have been the occasional cancellations from time to time. However, what I am worried about is what is my position if I, as party leader, should be taken ill or have an accident and be unable to lead the party? Obviously, the members of the party would not wish to go on the holiday if the tutor was absent and yet they probably could not claim on their insurance to get their money refunded because they had no medical reason to cancel themselves. They would probably expect me to return their money, which I would have to pay to the hotels etc. and so I could be many thousands of pounds out of pocket. Is there any insurance I could take out to cover myself for claims made against me if the holiday had to be cancelled owing to indisposition of myself as party leader?

Hi Margaret Yes this sort of insurance does exist. Search for 'event cancellation insurance' on Google and you will find plenty of companies offering it. You can usually pick various contingencies you wish to cover for depending on the event. Most importantly you can include cover for cancellation due to non-attendance by a 'key person' which in the case of a painting holiday could be yourself or a guest tutor. You're right - the potential losses if you had to pull out at the last minute don't bear thinking of. They could be equivalent to a small mortgage!

Thank you Jane, for your reply. I will have a look on the internet as you suggest. However I DO feel this is something the SAA should do for their PAs and promoters. A very large number of us run art courses and holidays and, while we can get third party liability insurance I have seen no mention of insurance for expenses incurred if we personally have to cancel the holiday. Where the holiday flights and accommodation are arranged through a travel firm - as my Croatian ones are - the group members have to pay the cost of the flights and hotel into the travel firm about 10 weeks before the holiday date. If something occurred after that date and I was unable to lead the holiday, the travel company would not refund the money so I should have to do that myself (it would not just be a case of returning tuition fees) and it could easily cost me

When I started running painting holidays I called the SAA to enquire about this and they were very helpful, pointing me in the direction of their own brokers who were able to assist. Event cancellation is potentially a huge risk, as you have worked out. I have calculated my own possible liability, including non-returnable venue hire, hotel accommodation, booked models etc at considerably more than

It seems such insurance does NOT actually exist. I have been trying almost every day for over two weeks now. I have tried the High Street brokers and the Internet. I have tried "Event Insurance" and "Key Person Insurance" and had another go at the SAA's own underwriters and all to no avail. I was told point blank by the latter that the paperwork and time taken to draw up the necessary cover would cost more than the premium and it just wouldn't be worth their while. It seems I either have to take a big chance and go ahead without insurance, or not organise the holiday myself but just tutor for a holiday company, or give up altogether on painting holidays and disappoint a lot of people. None of these options really appeals to me. It is very disappointing.

Hi Margaret

I have had a look for you and found this company that maybe able to help you

http://www.hiscox.co.uk/events/Products/Eventcancellationinsurance/tabid/264/Default.aspx

Thanks

Stewart Scott
Membership Coordinator

Thank you Stuart - I'll have a look although I have been told that "Event Insurance" won't cover this sort of thing. After trying every insurer that I could find I was eventually told that no policy existed to cover this need and, if I wanted such a policy, then one would have to be written especially for me and then the premiums would be so high I wouldn't want to pay.
I have asked other artists who organise painting holidays and they seem prepared to take the risk.
I have got round the problem by doing painting holidays with another artist. For instance Joe Dowden and I ran one in Croatia between us which worked quite well (especially as Joe broke his arm really badly on the second day and had to spend hours and hours in a Croatian hospital!) However this sort of joint venture isn't always possible, so now I pay a small annual retainer to another artist friend on the understanding that, if necessary, he will take over as tutor. So far he hasn't been needed but it's comforting to know I have back-up.
However, it isn't feasible to expect someone else to take over at a moment's notice if the holiday is abroad, so now I no longer risk the foreign ones but keep to painting holidays in Britain.

Hi Margaret
I was interested to see this topic has been revived. I continue to be baffled by your insistence that such insurance does not exist as I have exactly this when organising painting holidays - in fact on one occasion the policy was underwritten by Hiscox just as Stewart suggests above.
Of course I have no way of knowing what you regard as a premium 'so high you wouldn't want to pay' - I generally pay a sum of several hundred pounds for each event. Perhaps this has been the brick wall you have been hitting?
This insurance DOES exist (just as I posted some years ago - I am not in the habit of lying!), but it is not a straightforward off-the-peg policy like car insurance and it is not cheap.

Thanks Jane,
I must admit that by the time I received your first reply I had already given up on the idea of further foreign holidays so didn't check it out. I saw the words "event unsurance" and I knew that "event insurance" did not fit the requirements so assumed you had done what so many others had and just misunderstood my question. I certainly didn't think you were lying !!!!!
I had spent at least 6 months pursuing this and had been told nothing could be done - until one company said they could write me a bespoke policy but only at a premium I wouldn't want to pay. I gave up at that point and never asked them how much.
All the same I think that the "several hundred pounds" you pay would have been out of the question for the holidays as I used to do them then.
I liked to keep my numbers low - a maximum of 10 people and I only charged £100 tuition fee per student with which had to cover my own flight and accommodation charges plus all expenses. This normally only left about £400 - £500 "profit" and a large insurance premium would have swallowed all that up. Therefore, if I had continued with the holidays I would have had to increase charges or numbers.
It's nice to know though that insurance IS after all possible and I thank you for your advice. I have switched to painting holidays in the U.K. now and I have no plans for any more foreign ones in the near future, but if I change my mind I will certainly look into your sdvice.

Hi Margaret
Sorry I pop in here so rarely I have only just seen your reply. I fully understand that for the sort of holidays as you describe then the premiums I pay would not be viable.
You might still want to look into insurance for your UK holidays though (some hotels have pretty scary and unforgiving cancellation policies as I'm sure you know!)and if you ever do then just drop me a line and I'll put you in touch with the superb brokers I use who have come up trumps for me every time - even when I am flying a septugenarian tutor into the UK from the US.... in hurricane season too just to add spice. That gives you an idea why my premiums are so high and it might not be so prohibitive for you.