Live Events

Thinking about all the things that could possibly go wrong with an event is now part of Jake’s DNA – whether that is bad weather, a no-show from a performer or an act of terrorism, his job is to make sure that protection is in place to keep the show on the road.

Jake started his career straight after leaving school, and is an underwriter at Beazley, a leading Lloyd’s Syndicate. “I was always strong with numbers, so maths and economics were a core part of my A levels and, while I did not know exactly what I wanted to do, I did know I wanted to work in an office. So, after my exams I started looking for entry level roles and apprenticeships. Further education would have been great, but I did not want the debt and I did want the three years of hands-on experience I could get while my friends were studying.”

Jake thought about insurance following two work experience placements during the latter part of his education. “My first role was as an Insurance Technician for Munich Re. It was a foot in the door, but with hindsight it gave me this amazing grounding in how insurance works. When I came to apply for my first underwriting role, that detailed understanding was a real advantage. Never underestimate the value of starting in the engine room!” He also very much believes in the value of professional qualifications, completing his Chartered Institute of Insurance certificate in his first year and now working towards his Advanced Diploma.

It is the sheer variety of what comes across his desk that Jake loves. “I never know what each day will bring and it is so important for organisers, artists and managers to know they can buy insurance which will protect their income. My job is to assess how an event may be cancelled or interrupted and the financial impact of this. Each event is unique and varies from those see in your local town to ones you watch on the TV..”

There are a number of things that Jake thinks make working in the London insurance market unique. The first is that it is a marketplace, there is healthy competition which means you have to be quite entrepreneurial in how you think about solutions – this is not just about price. Business is mostly done face to face so it means you can bounce ideas off colleagues and business partners. “For me the interaction with other people means we can get more done, faster and with more fun. The challenges we help people face are fascinating so there is real reward in what we do.”

Through school and university, Bethan had done several work experience stints with insurers, getting to know different sectors of the industry. But when she arrived at the broker Tysers in their events team, she knew she had found her happy place.

“I love the broking side because I see the entire process from start to finish” said Bethan. “An insurer only sees the bit they are involved with. Our clients see us trusted advisers, like their lawyers, we are the first call they make when something is going wrong.”

“The best bit is dealing with events and artists that you like and admire all the time, and there is something for everyone. On any given day I can be dealing with a classical violinist, bass and drum in a field, a rap artist or a rock legend.” You also learn about everything that goes on behind the scenes at an event – might someone get hurt, what could get damaged or stolen. “I am a bit geeky when I go to events, pointing out to my not very interested friends all the risks”.

While the mass cancellation of live events through the COVID-19 pandemic was a shock for the business, Bethan took the opportunity to looks at new areas that she could develop. Clearly having a creative mind and an entrepreneurial streak is helpful and she began to look at protecting musicians against the possibility that they might be accused of stealing someone else’s tunes or offending someone on social media.

Bethan went to Nottingham Trent University and studied Philosophy and History, but her view on what it takes to succeed is admirably pragmatic. “This is an industry where you can succeed whether you do a degree or not. You learn from others and from doing – people skills and thinking of your feet are not things you get taught in education. You become part of an amazing community, where people compete and collaborate every day and you always have something to talk about”.

COVID-19 brought festivals and concerts to an abrupt halt, with dire financial consequences for those who organised and who performed at them. Henry’s career in insuring musicians and events was a baptism of fire as the pandemic hit.

Henry is a broker with Tysers, working with the music industry to make sure they are protected when things go wrong – that could be equipment getting lost or damaged, crew being injured, artists falling ill or gigs being cancelled. A physics graduate from Leeds University, Henry started his career in teaching but has always had a passion for music but was looking for a way of combining that with more stability and even a pension! “I had not really thought about music and insurance, but then I googled businesses that did it and made some applications.”

“The onset of the pandemic and mass cancellation of events was quite early in my career” said Henry. “It made it really hard for the entire music industry; artists lost money as did organisers and we had some tough conversations around what was insured and what wasn’t”. Then after months of activity, the industry came back to life with gigs and festivals being rescheduled

Henry spends a lot of time talking to artists, managers and organisers, and says “The best thing about being in this business is the contact you have with clients, talking about their plans and ambitions and being able to give them some peace of mind when they are taking a risk.” The industry is also always evolving with new types of events such as animatronics, dance festivals and immersive experiences, so there is always something to learn and new ways to develop your career. There is also the opportunity to travel visiting clients and events in across the UK and abroad.

As Henry builds his career is doing the exams to be an Associate of the Chartered Insurance Institute saying “The value of these professional qualifications is the confidence they give you in the more technical aspects of the industry, and the confidence it gives other people in you.”