Although K&K has been insuring the zip line risk through various programs, it now offers a focused aerial attractions program in partnership with Hibbs-Hallmark & Company.
PRODUCT: Aerial Attractions Program
COMPANY: K&K, Hibbs-Hallmark & Company
BEST RATING: A+ (Superior)
AVAILABILITY: Coverage is available through K&K-appointed independent agents and brokers.
FOCUS: Whether it’s a ropes course, camp or even a zoo, zip lines are popping up everywhere. “They’re just becoming more and more popular,” says Stephanie Waldron, senior vice president of K&K’s Events & Attractions Division. “We’ve heard estimates as high as 1,500 operations in the U.S. It’s a large industry.”
Although K&K has been insuring the zip line risk through various other programs, it now offers a focused aerial attractions program in partnership with Hibbs-Hallmark & Company. K&K is acting as the managing general underwriter for the program nationwide.
“Hibbs-Hallmark chose us because they love K&K’s service and thought we would be a great fit for their zip line book,” Waldron says. “We have the authority in house for policy administration, underwriting and claims handling.”
Waldron notes that the combined experience of the two companies offers agents specialized knowledge and stability in this market.
“K&K has a lot of experience in the realm of amusement devices, and we’re partnering with a broker who’s been in a business of the zip line and ropes course area for about 25 years,” Waldron says. “That experience means you’re coming to someone who understands the risk, and we’re not likely to hop in and out of this space. We take these programs very seriously and we intend to be here for the long haul.”
UNDERWRITING: K&K has developed an extensive application for the program, beginning with asking if the operator is affiliated with The Association for Challenge Course Technology or the Professional Ropes Course Association.
“If they have an affiliation with one of those two organizations, you know they’re meeting the standards for the course itself and its operation,” explains Elizabeth Park, director of underwriting for K&K. “If they don’t have affiliation with those two, we will consider it on a case-by-case basis.”
K&K then looks to the American Society for Testing and Materials to see if an applicant meets standards for the building of the course itself.
“Those are our three levels of benchmarks for just the basic course construction and meeting safety recommendations,” Park says. “That’s a key part of the underwriting.”
As part of the underwriting process, K&K also looks at factors like waiver and release, helmets and equipment
MINIMUM PREMIUM: $5,000; up to $7,500 if the zip line has more high-risk elements.
TARGET: To qualify for the program, the majority of the operation’s revenue must come from a zip line or ropes course.
“If a risk is submitted and a zip line is just a small part of the revenue, we would work with whomever submitted the risk to find the appropriate program,” Park says. “It could be leisure camps, it could be an outfitter or tourist attraction. We go by where the revenue split lies.”
COVERAGE TERRITORY: All U.S. states.
CONTACT: Robert Monaghan, president, Hibbs-Hallmark & Company; 800-765-6767.
Katie Butler is IA editor in chief.
