Davies Tanner Names Tracy Halliwell MBE Non-Executive Director

Davies Tanner has announced the appointment of Tracy Halliwell MBE as Non-Executive Director and Special Advisor, with effect from 1 October 2026. The move brings one of the United Kingdom’s most recognised business events and destination leaders into a strategic role at the communications agency.

The agency, which works across exhibitions, trade shows, business events, venues, hotels and destinations, said the appointment is designed to support its long-term growth and deepen its advisory capabilities for clients operating in the global meetings and events ecosystem.

Industry Background & Context

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Communications and reputation management have become increasingly central to the business events and exhibition sectors, particularly as destinations and venues compete for international conferences, trade shows and large-scale meetings. Agencies serving this space are under pressure to demonstrate a detailed understanding of bidding processes, legacy outcomes, policy agendas and the expectations of both in-person and hybrid event stakeholders.

At the same time, event organisers and venues are navigating shifts in audience behaviour, digital engagement, sustainability requirements and public sector investment criteria. As a result, many are seeking advisory support that goes beyond traditional PR to include strategic positioning, stakeholder engagement and advocacy.

Halliwell, who has held senior leadership roles within the UK’s visitor economy and business events landscape, brings experience across these areas, including destination strategy, international market development and major event acquisition. Her appointment reflects a broader trend of agencies integrating high-level sector expertise into their governance and client advisory structures.

Key Details Of The Appointment

Under the new arrangement, Halliwell will join Davies Tanner’s board as a Non-Executive Director while also serving as Special Advisor to the business. The role formally begins on 1 October 2026.

As a Non-Executive Director, she is expected to contribute to the agency’s strategic direction, provide independent oversight and offer guidance on emerging opportunities within the global events, hospitality and destination sectors. The Special Advisor element of the role is intended to draw on her operational and policy experience to support the agency’s senior team and client-facing work.

Davies Tanner works with a portfolio that includes event organisers, convention centres, exhibition venues, hotel groups, destination marketing organisations and sector associations. Its specialist brands include DT, The Audience and The Business of Events, each focused on different aspects of communications, audience engagement and policy dialogue within the business events and visitor economy.

By bringing Halliwell into a formal governance and advisory position, the agency is positioning itself to strengthen its counsel to clients seeking to align communications with broader destination strategies, investment priorities and policy frameworks.

How The Move Could Influence The Event Sector

The appointment signals continued convergence between communications, policy, and destination development in the event economy. As business events are increasingly used to support wider objectives such as innovation, inward investment and knowledge exchange, agencies with board-level expertise in these areas are likely to be in demand.

For destinations competing for international congresses and trade fairs, storytelling about long-term impact and sector alignment has become as critical as infrastructure and capacity. A board member with experience at the intersection of tourism, economic development and major event strategy can inform how agencies frame these narratives and engage with policymakers, investors and international associations.

The announcement may also be read as a signal that the business events sector continues to professionalise its approach to reputation, advocacy and strategic communications. Non-Executive appointments from within the industry bring a governance lens that is familiar in corporate and public sector environments but has, until recently, been less visible in specialist event communications firms.

Why The Appointment Matters For Event Professionals & Technology Providers

For event organisers, venues and destination marketers, the appointment underlines the value of working with partners who understand the full lifecycle of an event: from bid and stakeholder negotiation through to legacy measurement and ongoing advocacy. As hybrid and technology-enabled formats become embedded in long-term strategies, narrative and positioning increasingly need to be aligned with digital capabilities and data insights.

Technology providers working with destinations, venues and organisers can also draw implications from this move. As agencies build more strategic advisory capacity, there is greater scope to connect communications with technology choices, including:

articulation of how event platforms and digital tools support legacy, inclusion and sustainability goals
clearer messaging around data, analytics and audience engagement capabilities
integration of technology stories into wider destination and venue positioning

Halliwell’s background in major event acquisition and destination strategy may encourage more sophisticated collaboration between communications specialists, technology partners and policy stakeholders. This could be particularly relevant for large-scale congresses and trade shows where digital infrastructure, hybrid capabilities and data strategy are now central to bid decisions.

For B2B event technology companies, the development highlights an opportunity to align their own messaging with broader economic and policy narratives. As communications agencies deepen their advisory bench strength, they are likely to look for technology case studies that demonstrate measurable impact on delegate experience, exhibitor outcomes and destination value.

Looking Ahead

While the detailed remit of Halliwell’s role has not been publicly outlined beyond her titles and start date, the appointment marks a clear signal of intent from Davies Tanner. Bringing a senior industry figure into a Non-Executive and Special Advisor position suggests the agency is preparing for a period of continued evolution in how business events, exhibitions and destinations communicate their value.

For event professionals, venues, destinations and technology providers, the move reinforces a wider shift: communications in the event economy are no longer purely about publicity or media relations. They are increasingly tied to strategy, policy, investment and long-term impact. Board-level appointments of sector leaders into advisory roles at specialist agencies are one visible expression of that trend.

As 2026 approaches, stakeholders across the business events and exhibition landscape will be watching how this and similar appointments influence the kind of guidance, services and strategic partnerships available to organisations competing in a more complex, technology-enabled and outcomes-focused market.