First Meeting Needs Golf Day raises £3,700 for charity at Carden Park

Industry professionals rally in Cheshire, suppliers triumph over agencies, and vital funds are raised for life changing community projects

The first Meeting Needs Golf Day teed off this week at the beautiful Carden Park Hotel, setting the tone for a new date in the UK events industry calendar.

Organised by Dan Bardgett, Managing Director of XSEM, and Matt Curran of Chew Events, the day brought together 24 players for a friendly contest between 12 agency golfers and 12 supplier partners. The supplier team took the honours by four matches to two.

The event raised £3,700 for Meeting Needs, the events industry charity that funds life changing projects for people in need in the UK and around the world.

The weather played its part, the rain held off, and the atmosphere was full of energy and camaraderie. Among the players were Caroline Windsor of TFI Lodestar and Bernice Heard of Hyatt, both Meeting Needs board members, who joined fellow event professionals for a day of golf, networking, and giving back.

Special thanks go to Jess Johnson, National Account Manager at Carden Park, for outstanding support and hospitality throughout.

Dan Bardgett said, “It was great to see the event supported by so many prominent agencies and partners from across the industry. Our aim was to start small, bring together a great bunch of people, and build on it in 2026 and beyond.”

The success of the inaugural Meeting Needs Golf Day shows the power of the events community coming together to do good while enjoying valuable time on the course, and closely follows the £26,070.29 raised by runners on behalf of Meeting Needs at the Royal Parks Half Marathon.