Guide
If the Machine Is Damaged, Whose Loss Is It?
A venue should not be taking on the risk of equipment it does not own, and should check that the paperwork says so.
Under a managed arrangement the operator owns the machine and the stock, so damage and theft are the operator's loss rather than the venue's. That is the general position and it is also exactly the kind of thing that should be stated in the venue agreement rather than assumed — along with whether the operator carries insurance and whether a certificate is available.
Start from ownership
The question follows the asset. If the operator owns the machine and the stock inside it, a break-in that takes both is the operator's loss. If the venue bought the machine, it is the venue's. This is the clearest practical difference between the two models and it is worth being explicit about. The two models compared →
What the agreement should say
- Who owns the machine, and who owns the stock at the point of sale.
- Whose loss damage and theft are, stated plainly rather than implied by ownership.
- Whether the venue is liable in any circumstance — for example gross negligence — and what that means.
- Whether the operator carries insurance, and whether a certificate is available on request.
- What happens to the placement after a serious incident: repair, replace, or remove.
- Who repairs damage to the wall if the unit is torn off it.
What that looks like in practice belongs in the venue agreement, agreed before anything is installed rather than discovered afterwards. The questions to ask →
Placement is most of the mitigation
The cheapest risk control is deciding where the machine goes. In sight of staff or a fixed camera, out of a back corridor, not in a dark pinch point. This costs nothing at survey and is difficult to retrofit, which is why placement is agreed on site with whoever runs security rather than from a floor plan. Placement →
What a venue should not accept
How Afterwrk handles it
Afterwrk owns the machine and the stock, and places the unit where staff or a camera can see it for this reason among others. How damage and theft are handled is written into the venue agreement, and our insurance position is confirmed to a venue in writing during that conversation rather than asserted on a web page.
Last reviewed . A person rechecks the sources before this date changes.
Common questions
Is the venue liable if a guest damages the machine?
Under a managed arrangement the machine is the operator's property and the loss is generally the operator's. Confirm the specific wording in the agreement.
Does the venue need its own insurance for it?
Ask your broker, and ask the operator for its position in writing. Do not assume either way.
Does placement really affect this?
It is the single biggest lever, and it is free at the survey stage.
See whether your venue qualifies
The assessment applies everything on this page to your actual address.