For the events industry, 2022 is a year that will live long in the memory for so many, customers and organisers alike. International travel surged, fans returned for their first full season of sport inside stadia, the Lionesses roared, and the mercurial Messi captured the most coveted prize in football. And, who could forget Tiger’s return to St. Andrews for the 150th Open?
For us at SGH, it marked an incredibly memorable year too. We figured it would only be right to share some of our highlights from 2022 - the year we launched CONNECT, our membership-led event series, which provides businesses in Yorkshire with a platform to meet like-minded individuals, and connect through food, drink and some truly unique and special sporting experiences and getaways at some of the country’s finest destinations. CONNECT saw us welcome our members to locations such as The Renaissance Club, York Racecourse (for the iconic Dante Festival), and Headingley Stadium to watch the Leeds Rhinos in action.
We also returned to Seaton Carew for the 2022 edition of our SGH Seaton Carew Pro-Am. Highly regarded, and a true hidden gem of the North East’s golfing landscape, the course has played host to many British Amateur and Junior Championships. It is always a highlight of our golfing calendar and last year was no different, as we were thrilled to welcome David Lynn, Steve McClaren and Richard Finch amongst our guests. We kicked off with a delightful lunch, which was soon followed by some less than delightful Northern weather. Alas, our competitors were not thrown, because stakes were high and there was golf to be played. On the course, our field did battle over a round at the Brabazon course and the inclement weather was soon forgotten as everyone as usual gave their all.
It would be simply remiss of us not to give a special mention, and a tip of our hats, to last year’s 2022 edition of The Open at St. Andrews. The old course played host to an iconic 150th anniversary of an incredibly special tournament at the home of golf. In the build-up, there was plenty of noise around the ever-growing momentum surrounding LIV’s breakaway movement which was fast gathering pace. However, the return of Tiger Woods, to a course he named as his favourite and home to two of his fifteen Major triumphs, kicked off a momentous week of golf, where our guests experienced one of the game’s great finishes. Rory came painstakingly close, but was pipped by Cam Smith, a timely six months after his Players’ Championship victory.
Away from the golf course, our annual trips to Monte Carlo for the prized Monaco Grand Prix was incredibly special, and we can’t wait to return in 2023. For our guests at Wimbledon, all eyes were on the immeasurably talented but unpredictable Nick Kyrgios, who treated us to a mesmerising run to the final, where he succumbed to one of the game’s true greats in Novak Djokovic.
A strong travelling contingent joined us at the amazing JCB Championship in Uttoxeter, where a star-studded field, jam-packed with Major winners and Ryder Cup mainstays, including Darren Clarke, Paul McGinley, Retief Goosen and James Kingston, all did battle, eventually succumbing to Alex Čejka, who emerged victorious with an impressive 11 under par.
As summer drew to a close, September welcomed the return of our flagship Age Partnership Yorkshire Invitational at Ilkley Golf Club. Rich Beem took over the mantle from our previous host, Ian Woosnam, to lead a field which featured many familiar faces from both the mens’ and ladies’ games, including two-time Solheim Cup captain Catriona Matthew, Phil Price, Scott Drummond, Simon Khan, alongside Olympic athlete Nile Wilson, Yorkshire Cricket legend Darren Gough, former Leeds Rhino Danny McGuire and footballers Danny Mills, Paul Robinson, Matt Kilgallon, Lee Sharpe and Clayton Blackmore.
Our Pro-Am curtain raiser was followed by a closely contested Alliance Tournament which saw Philip Price continue a good run of form to conquer a talented field, shortly after his successful British Par 3 campaign. As the golfing action concluded, our competitors congregated to enjoy an evening of food, drink and entertainment, with crowd favourite Back Chat Brass soundtracking the evening and supplementing a fantastic Q&A with our host Rich Beem.
As the winter months approached, we had two final highlights. Firstly, our CONNECT curtain-closer, with Leeds United legend Mel Sterland and former Leeds United and Liverpool ace Gary McAllister, alongside our host, ex-Leeds United and England u21 player Andy Couzens at Fazenda, in Leeds City Centre. Our members reconnected for one final time for an afternoon of belly-aching laughter, and phenomenal food and drink.
And finally, our first ever SGH Christmas Party, which took place at the Emerald Headingley Stadium’s Howard Suite, where many of our friends, partners and clients joined us for an evening that truly had it all. The Maestros soundtracked suitably, to follow our wonderful Christmas Banquet until the early hours in an evening jam-packed with casino action, Christmas games and dancing. A well-deserved time to let our hair down after an action-packed 2022.
In summary, 2022 was an incredibly special year for us. Despite this, it’s time to look forward to an even bigger year, with all eyes on 2023. Want to find out more about what we have planned for this year? Check out our 2023 preview here. [hyperlink to 2023 blog]