It makes sense that an event organizer would want a local insurance agent to procure their weather-based insurance. Local agencies are usually owned by people who live in the community, so they are more invested in its success. Local agencies also tend to reinvest some of their profits back in the local economy. Additionally, it’s nice being able to work with someone you can meet in person to go over any questions or concerns. With so many reasons to utilize [...]

By Robert Holmes, President, Spectrum Weather Insurance I recently attended a luncheon where the speaker discussed trust, specifically trust in a business setting with a focus on hiring employees and developing relationships with clients and other stakeholders. The speaker broke the process of building and developing trust into three essential components: competency, problem solving and caring for others. This led me to think about how I, and in a greater sense, Spectrum Weather Insurance, embraces, practices and continues to improve [...]

When it comes to insuring motorsport events, few insurance brokers have the experience and passion that Spectrum has. Not only is Spectrum president Robert Holmes a meteorologist with 20+ years of weather risk management experience, but he’s also a former crew member for a late model stock car team. Last year alone, Spectrum insured more than 200 racing events, ranging from automobile races on dirt and asphalt to monster trucks, tractor pulls and drag races. Whether you’re a racetrack operator [...]

A recent survey by Insurance Business America uncovered the top six attributes clients look for in an insurance provider. Continue reading to learn about the survey results and how Spectrum excels in all six items that insureds value most. 1. Customer Service One of the greatest compliments we often hear form our clients is that we provide excellent customer service. When Spectrum began operations more than ten years ago, one of our primary goals was to provide the best customer [...]

If you haven’t already heard, December 2021 was the hottest December in U.S. recorded history. The contiguous U.S. temperature for the month was 39.3 degrees Fahrenheit , 6.7 degrees above average and exceeding the previous warmest December in 2015. While you’re probably unfazed by this news, since it seems like we break a new climate record every month, the fact remains that the planet is warming. And it’s causing changes in weather patterns around the globe. For 2021 as a [...]

Like many events that take place outdoors, inclement weather can ruin and even cancel a golf tournament. However, golf tournaments have their own set of weather issues regarding the type and timing of weather events. To address these issues, there are a variety of customizable insurance policies available to those planning golf tournaments: Event Cancellation Insurance Adverse weather may merely make tournament play less enjoyable, or it can interrupt play for a matter of hours, a full day, or could [...]

We can’t believe it’s been a whole decade since we thought, “There has to be a better way to obtain rain insurance,” and then decided we could be the better way. We started out by listening to people in the events industry to understand their pain points with existing weather insurance. We heard their frustrations with the expensive, one-size-fits-all coverage available and worked with multiple carriers to provide more options at a competitive price. Over the past 10 years, [...]

When purchasing a rain insurance policy, the ultimate goal is to have that policy pay a claim when rainfall meets or exceeds your insured amount. Most carriers allow for three options to determine the rainfall: an on-site observer, the nearest National Weather Service location (typically an airport), or a third party that will determine rainfall using multiple data sources, most notably, Doppler radar data.  However, there is a recent addition: gridded rainfall data produced by the federal government. Insurance that [...]

The summer of 2020 has all but come and gone, and it has looked nothing like what anyone imagined. From graduations and weddings to fairs and concerts, widespread event cancellations across the globe have made for a very uneventful summer. For the general public, this has meant a boring summer, canceled traditions and disappointed fans. But for those in the events industry, it has been a devastating blow with months of hard work out the window, revenues lost and an [...]

There’s no doubt the fair industry is suffering during the coronavirus pandemic, as social distancing requirements are causing event organizers around the world to cancel events through the summer and even into the fall. But the fair industry is resilient and many fair organizers have responded to forced cancellations with creative solutions to provide fans—and vendors—with alternative fair experiences. Below, we’ve compiled just a few of the outside-the-box ideas some fairs have come up with. The Ingham County Fairgrounds in [...]

In the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, few industries are feeling the effects of social distancing as strongly as the events industry. These tough times are forcing organizers to get creative in how their events are hosted and some are turning to virtual events. The following six tips will help you make the most of your event, even when it can’t be held in person. 1. Consider what your event can bring to the web First, evaluate if and how [...]

It has been a busy, chaotic few weeks for us, the event industry and the world, as we all navigate the new reality of life and business during a pandemic. With thousands of event cancellations—some initially as a precaution, followed by others as required by local ordinances—we’ve had a lot of clients reaching out to see if cancellations related to coronavirus are covered under their event cancellation policies. Fortunately for some, the answer is yes…if their policy was purchased prior [...]

This winter, the Northern Hemisphere has been experiencing a warmer weather pattern and, combined with global warming, that’s resulted in less snow. Despite the winter storm that blew through the Midwest and Northeast this week, snowfall totals are still well below average. In fact, some areas—like New York City—are on pace to finish the winter with their lowest snowfall totals on record. While that may be good news for those who dread winter weather, it’s bad news for a lot [...]