# Exhibition and trade fair insurance in Germany: exhibits and stands covered nail to nail > Germany hosts many of the world's largest trade fairs, and exhibiting there means trucking machines, samples and an expensive stand into a hall you do not control. German fair organisers largely exclude liability for exhibitors' goods in their terms of participation. Exhibition insurance, Ausstellungsversicherung in German, covers your exhibits, loaned items and stand equipment in transit, during set-up, at the show, during dismantling and on the way back. Quelle/Source: https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-exhibition-insurance.php Updated: 2026-11-13 ## My company has general liability cover. Do I still need exhibition insurance? Yes, because they pay for different things. Liability cover pays when you or your stand staff damage someone else, for example a visitor or the hall operator. Exhibition insurance pays for your own property: the prototype dropped by a forklift, the display case broken into overnight, the loaned painting that comes back damaged. A business contents policy rarely helps, as it usually only covers your own premises. ## At a glance - **Compulsory?:** No, but German fair organisers rarely accept liability for exhibits - **Duration:** nail to nail: from leaving your premises until the goods are back - **Policy form:** single policy per show or annual policy for several fairs - **Model wording:** DTV-AVB Ausstellungsversicherung 2010 of the German insurers association, non-binding - **Not included:** exhibitor liability and event cancellation, both separate classes ## What the fair organiser will not pay The terms of participation of German fairs follow a common pattern: the organiser is liable for loss or damage to exhibits only where it is at fault, often only for intent and gross negligence. Stands still standing after the dismantling deadline are cleared and stored at the exhibitor's cost, with liability excluded. Hall security provided by the organiser lowers the risk but does not insure your goods. If something disappears from an open stand overnight or is crushed during the forklift rush at teardown, you carry the loss unless you have your own cover. ## Nail to nail: transit and storage count Most losses happen outside opening hours: during loading, on the road, at set-up and dismantling, and while crates wait in interim storage for the return trip. That is why German exhibition policies are built as house to house cover; in the art world the term is nail to nail, from taking a work off the lender's wall to hanging it back. How long interim storage is covered depends on the policy. The German model wording leaves the number of days per storage period open, to be filled in for each contract. If you park goods with a forwarder between two shows, check that period. ## Art exhibitions, museums and galleries Lenders want proof of insurance at the value they set before they agree to a loan. Art policies therefore use an agreed value (Taxe in German) that need not be proven after a loss, plus rules specific to art: compensation for loss of value after restoration, a pair and set clause for parts of an ensemble, and a buy back right if a stolen work is recovered. Public museums in most German federal states can obtain a state indemnity for important exhibitions instead of commercial insurance. It rarely covers every loan and every phase, so a policy is still needed for the rest. ## Where neighbouring classes take over Exhibition insurance is property insurance for your items. A visitor tripping over a cable at your stand is a matter for general or event liability insurance. If the whole fair is cancelled and your stand rental is lost, event cancellation cover may respond. Goods you ship to customers on a regular basis belong under transit or cargo insurance. ## What is covered - Your own exhibits, machines, samples and prototypes - Third party property and loans, where agreed - Stand construction, display cases, furniture, decoration and flooring - Audio visual and presentation equipment on the stand - Outward and return transit by own vehicle, forwarder or courier - Set-up, dismantling and interim storage for the agreed period - Theft, burglary, robbery and vandalism - Breakage, fire, water and storm, usually on an all risks basis ## What is not covered - Wear and tear and inherent vice - Damage caused by inadequate packing - Mechanical and electrical breakdown of running machines - Lost sales, delays or cancellation of the fair - Theft from an unattended stand where the policy requires guarding - Liability claims by visitors or organisers ## Who needs it - Manufacturers showing machines and samples at German trade fairs - Companies with their own reusable exhibition stand - Galleries at art fairs and exhibitions away from their premises - Museums, art societies and collectors lending or borrowing works - Organisers of touring and special exhibitions ## Who does not need it - Exhibitors who only bring brochures and low value promotional material - Companies whose contents or electronics policy expressly includes trade fairs with sufficient limits ## What it costs The premium depends on the value of exhibits and stand, the duration, the location of the show and the transit route. Single policies are rated per exhibition, annual policies on the total of all fairs in a year, often with a minimum premium. There are no independently published price comparisons, so we do not quote amounts. **What drives the premium:** - Value of exhibits, loans and stand equipment - Type of goods: machinery, electronics, art, jewellery - Number and length of exhibitions per year - Show locations in Germany, Europe or worldwide - Transit route and packing - Deductible and loss history _The premium is only fixed in the quote, once the insurer has your schedule of values, fair calendar and transit details._ ## The policy levels on the market - **Single show policy:** For companies with one or two fairs a year: exhibits and stand for one event, including outward and return transit and fixed storage periods. - **Annual exhibitor policy:** All fairs of a year in one contract, with a declared show calendar. Stand and AV equipment often on a first loss basis, plus storage between dates. - **Fine art and museum cover:** Nail to nail with agreed values, depreciation after restoration, pair and set clause and waiver of recourse against lenders and fine art shippers, also for touring shows. ## How to recognise a good policy | Criterion | Minimum standard | Strong policy | Why it matters | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Scope of perils | named perils only | all risks | With named perils a loss has to fit the list; with all risks it only must not be excluded. | | House to house | only at the venue | from your premises until return | Most damage happens in loading, transit and dismantling. | | Interim storage | a few days | sufficient storage period before and after the show | Goods stored with a forwarder between fairs need that time covered. | | Simple theft | burglary outside opening hours only | theft during opening hours included | Small exhibits usually vanish in the middle of the show. | | Guarding and locking duties | strict, with loss of cover | organiser hall security is sufficient | A duty you cannot meet at someone else's venue makes the cover worthless. | | Loans and agreed value | own goods at current value only | third party goods at agreed value | Lenders require proof of cover at their value. | | Waiver of recourse | none | against lender, organiser and shipper | Otherwise a claim can strain relations with the partners you need for the next show. | | Underinsurance | proportional reduction | average waived | Values on an exhibition list are easily set too low. | ## Insurers on the German market In Germany exhibition insurance is mostly written by marine and transit insurers, art exhibitions also by fine art specialists. Listed are insurers under German federal supervision for which we found policy wording or product information for this class. This is a market overview, not a ranking and not a statement about who we work with. - **Mannheimer**: transit and art insurer from Mannheim with its own wordings for exhibitions and art exhibitions - **ALTE LEIPZIGER**: exhibition cover based on the German model wording, plus special terms for art exhibitions - **Allianz**: exhibition and trade fair insurance and a museum and exhibition policy - **LVM**: exhibition terms as part of its transit insurance wordings - **HDI Global**: industrial insurer of the Talanx group, transit and fine art for larger clients - **Württembergische**: commercial transit insurance including exhibition cover 161 insurers supervised by BaFin, the German regulator, are licensed for this class of insurance. (Hagel-, Frost- und sonstige Sachschäden, Transportgüter). Source: BaFin company database, 2026-09-18; EU insurers without a German office excluded. ## Typical claims and who pays - **Forklift drops exhibit while unloading** (repair or replacement, often five figures): An all risks policy pays. Under named perils it depends on whether handling or accidents to the conveyance are listed. - **Display case broken into overnight** (the stolen goods): Burglary outside opening hours is the core case. If the policy requires valuables to be locked away at night, that must have been done. - **Sample vanishes during the show** (value of the sample): Simple theft during opening hours is not always covered and often carries a higher deductible. - **Loaned work returns with a crack** (restoration and loss of value): Only if third party property is included. Strong art policies also pay depreciation after restoration. - **Fair cancelled at short notice** (stand rental, stand build and travel): That is not property damage. Event cancellation insurance exists for this. - **Crates sit three weeks in storage** (anything damaged there): Interim storage is covered for an agreed number of days. After that the cover ends unless something else was agreed. ## Myth or truth - „The fair organiser is liable for my exhibits." ✘ Usually not. German terms of participation largely exclude liability for exhibits, often except for intent and gross negligence. - „General liability cover pays for damage to my own stand." ✘ No. Liability insurance pays for damage you cause to others. Your own property needs property cover such as exhibition insurance. - „Good exhibition cover starts when goods are loaded at your own premises." ✔ True. House to house or nail to nail cover includes transit, set-up, dismantling and the return, where most losses occur. - „German insurers have a model wording for exhibition insurance." ✔ Yes, the DTV-AVB Ausstellungsversicherung 2010. It is non-binding, and many insurers use their own versions with different periods and limits. - „Public museums in Germany can partly rely on a state indemnity for loans." ✔ Yes, most federal states have schemes for important exhibitions. Whatever the indemnity does not cover still has to be insured. ## Common mistakes - Relying on hall security provided by the fair organiser - Insuring only the show days and forgetting transit, set-up and teardown - Not expressly including loans and consignment goods - Leaving the stand itself out of the sum insured - Leaving valuables and small items unlocked at the stand overnight - Failing to declare a fair under an annual policy ## FAQ ### What is the difference between exhibition insurance and event liability? Exhibition insurance pays for damage to your own or borrowed property. Event liability pays when you cause damage to others, such as a visitor or the venue. Exhibitors usually need both, and many German fairs require liability cover. ### Am I automatically covered by the fair? Usually not. German terms of participation largely exclude the organiser's liability for exhibits. Some fairs offer exhibitor insurance through a master contract; check whether transit and dismantling are included. ### What does nail to nail mean? Cover starts when an item is taken down or moved at its home location and ends when it is back in place. In between are packing, transit, set-up, the exhibition, dismantling, storage and the return trip. ### Are loaned items covered automatically? No. Third party property usually has to be included expressly and listed with its value. Lenders often require an agreed value and a waiver of recourse. ### Is theft during opening hours covered? That depends on the policy. Some wordings only cover burglary outside opening hours, others include simple theft during the day, often with a higher deductible. For small, portable exhibits this is the key question. ### Is my exhibition stand covered? Only if it is included in the sum insured. Stand construction, furniture, display cases and AV equipment are often insured separately or on a first loss basis. For rented stands also check the contract with the stand builder. ### Does the cover apply to fairs outside Germany? If the territorial scope allows it. Many policies cover Germany or Europe; worldwide shows are agreed case by case. Outside the EU customs papers come into play, and confiscation by authorities is usually excluded. ### What if the fair is cancelled? Exhibition insurance does not cover that. Lost stand rental and costs of a cancelled event fall under event cancellation insurance, which is more common for organisers than for exhibitors. ### Why use a broker? Because policies differ widely on storage periods, theft, guarding duties, loans and territorial scope, and single and annual policies are rated very differently. We obtain quotes and compare the wordings in English. Our fee is paid by the insurer. ## Legal basis and sources - [Insurance Contract Act (VVG, German)](https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/vvg_2008/) - [BaFin company database (licensed insurers)](https://portal.mvp.bafin.de/database/InstInfo/) ## Request quotes We obtain quotes and come back with a comparison, free of charge. You can write in English. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-exhibition-insurance.php#anfrage --- Your broker: Norman Nammert, trading as NAMMERT. Insurance broker licensed under section 34d(1) of the German Trade Regulation Act. Broker register no. D-C08Q-TOSD4-37. NAMMERT Assekuradeur GmbH is a separate company. It does not arrange your contract. NAMMERT Assekuradeur GmbH, Karl-Marx-Straße 4, 15711 Königs Wusterhausen, +49 3375 29 12 77, info@nammert.com. Wikidata: Q141141479.