Vendor and performer insurance in Canada. Get covered in minutes with VendorPolicy

Vendor and performer insurance is short-term liability coverage for independent sellers, food vendors, exhibitors, and performers taking part in events. It commonly includes commercial general liability and tenant’s legal liability, with optional coverage for products and completed operations, owned property and gear, food and beverage, and musical performers. VendorPolicy provides it online in Canada for a single day up to 180 days of continuous cover.

It covers your liability as an independent vendor or performer at an event. A policy typically includes:

• Commercial general liability: third-party bodily injury or property damage claims connected to your booth, service, or performance, plus legal defence costs.
• Tenant’s legal liability: damage you’re legally responsible for to the space you occupy.
• Optional products and completed operations: claims arising after a sale or service is finished.
• Optional owned property: your tents, tables, instruments, cameras, and gear.
• Optional food and beverage, and musical performer coverage for those specific activities.

Coverage responds to covered events and is subject to the policy wording, limits, and exclusions.

Vendors and performers whose events require proof of liability insurance, and anyone who wants to protect themselves against a claim. That includes market stall holders, craft and trade-show exhibitors, food and drink vendors, mobile sellers, and musicians or performers appearing at weddings, festivals, concerts, markets, and conferences. If your booking form asks for a certificate of insurance or an additional insured, this is the coverage it’s asking for.

Event insurance is the organizer’s own policy, covering the venue and the event as a whole. Vendor and performer insurance is separate coverage you buy for your own business, protecting you individually if a claim arises from your booth, product, or performance. Most organizers require both to be in place, not one or the other.

No. The organizer’s policy covers the event and the venue, not you. As an independent vendor or performer you’re a separate business, so a claim tied to your booth, your product, or your performance falls to your own liability, not the organizer’s. That’s exactly why so many organizers require vendors and performers to carry their own coverage and name the event as an additional insured before setting up.

Usually, yes. An additional insured is a person or organization you add to your policy so they share in its protection, typically the event organizer, venue, or host. Most booking forms require it. You can add one at purchase on VendorPolicy.ca. If you’re a vendor and aren’t sure who should be listed, ask the event organizer before you buy.

Instantly. For a standard purchase, your certificate is available to download the moment you buy, and a copy is sent to your registered event organizer. For a custom event, register it at VendorPolicy.ca/add, choose your role (event administrator or vendor), and a team member will add your event within one business day and send you a link.

Both. Coverage is available for a single day or for up to 180 days of continuous cover. Seasonal vendors working summer markets can insure the full stretch in one purchase rather than buying event by event.

Yes, if the organizer requires it, and most do. A single day of coverage is available for exactly this, so you’re not paying for a longer term than you need. If you end up doing more than one event, you can always insure a longer stretch on your next purchase.

If you serve food or drinks, yes. Preparing, sampling, or selling food creates a liability exposure that basic policies often leave out, so VendorPolicy offers optional food and beverage coverage on top of your general liability. Add it at purchase if food or drink is part of your booth.

Not on its own. Alcohol service is excluded from VendorPolicy, so a policy bought through the portal won’t respond to claims connected to serving or selling alcohol. That includes liquor liability, the coverage most venues and organizers require before you’re allowed to pour at an event.

If alcohol is part of your setup, whether you’re running a bar, pouring at a tasting, or selling drinks, you’ll need coverage built for that exposure. One of our team members can help you get the right policy in place through Front Row’s in-house program.

Yes. Optional musical performer coverage extends liability protection to musicians and performers at registered events, whether you’re playing a wedding ceremony, a market, or a festival stage. It sits alongside your general liability so both your setup and your set are covered.

It depends on your coverage. Price reflects the length of coverage (a single day versus a longer continuous term), the liability limit your event requires, and any optional coverages you add, such as owned property, food and beverage, or performer coverage. You’ll see the price before you buy, with no waiting on a quote.