“But what about liability?” and other lies 

You have this idea for a fun new event. You bring it up in the meeting, you’ve got ideas bouncing around, and people are excited. Then that one person who always likes to burst your bubble says it. 

“What about liability?” 

It’s like a stick they use to poke holes in all the best ideas. 

Now no matter where I hear that question, I think of it as a dodge. It’s a way of trying to get out of doing something.

If you find yourself asking this question often, it may not be because you’re against ideas. It may be that you’ve been hit with it so often it has sunk into your brain. Now you ask it just to get it out there before some negative person brings it up. 

Am I saying you can never talk about liability? Of course not. Feel free to discuss it. 

Visit a local insurance agency. Talk to a local agent. Find out what coverage your organization already has. Then find out what coverage would cost for your fun new event. While you’re asking them questions, find out what it would cost to get year-round coverage for your whole organization and all your events. Might be cheaper than you expected. 

Now, how are you going to pay for this? (I thought I’d just throw that question out there before the negative people get a chance to.) 

Go find a sponsor who can cover the cost. Give them public recognition for helping “bring this event to you safely.” Credit that brilliant idea to Deb Brown. 

There’s always someone who is willing to use liability as a way to be negative. But if you’re legitimately concerned about liability, it’s easy enough to handle. 
 
Keep shaping the future of your town, 
Becky

PS –  When you try to fill empty buildings with pop-ups or feature them on a Tour of Empty Buildings, some one is bound to try to use liability as a way to stop you. But now you know how to handle that. That leaves you free to try all kinds of ways to fill up your empty buildings. Invest an hour of your time and US$20 and join us live Aug 16, or via replay Aug 17-30. Filling Empty Buildings