The problem
Schools, nurseries, soft plays and many parents ask a children's entertainer for proof of public liability insurance and a DBS check, and venues may want PAT test records for disco lights and bubble machines. An entertainer with around 5 renewal dates a year who checks a folder each week spends about 15 minutes a week, about 65 minutes a month, and a lapsed certificate found when a school asks can lose the booking.
What the AI does
The primary record stays where it is: each date goes first in your main diary or booking system, with the certificate saved and a second check. This adds a backup: a Google Calendar event for each renewal date, such as your DBS Update Service subscription, insurance and PAT test, and two Zapier automations that start 30 days and 7 days before an event and email you through Gmail. The email is a prompt to check the real record and renew, not proof that a check or policy is valid. Safeguarding itself, such as never being alone with a child and making sure a parent or carer stays responsible, is your policy and practice, not something a reminder covers.
A worked example
A children's entertainer in Kent has about 5 renewal dates a year, including the DBS Update Service, public liability insurance and a PAT test for their disco kit. They keep the dates in their diary and add a backup calendar event with two Zapier emails for each.
Before
About 15 minutes a week checking the folder and diary: about 65 minutes a month
After
About 5 minutes a week acting on reminders and checking the main record: about 22 minutes a month
What it's worth
The value here isn't monetary: it is a backup behind your own diary, so the monthly value is set at nil. It also saves about 43 minutes a month (65 minus 22), which isn't priced. 5 dates × 2 reminders = 10 emails a year, well inside Zapier's Free plan of 100 tasks a month.
How to set it up
- List every renewal date first in your main diary or booking system, with the certificate saved, and have someone else check the list once.
- Add a Google Calendar event for each date with a clear title, such as 'Insurance renewal due: get quotes'.
- In Zapier, create one Zap that starts 30 days before an event and emails you, and a second at 7 days.
- Test with a dummy event and check both emails arrive.
- Once a month, compare the calendar with your main record and check a test email still arrives.
What goes wrong
- Automations can fail silently: an expired Google connection stops the emails with no warning. The monthly test catches it.
- A reminder isn't safeguarding. Have a written safeguarding policy, and make sure parents stay responsible for their children at the party.
- Schools and venues set their own rules on DBS checks and insurance cover. Check what each asks for, not just your renewal dates.
- Keep certificates where you can show them on your phone; a reminder email doesn't help when a school asks on the day.