Speakers at the seminars include:

Giles Agis

Giles is Executive Director of arts charity Brouhaha International, which develops and delivers local arts outreach projects, cultural learning programmes, festival events and community celebrations including the Brouhaha International Street Festival across Merseyside and the North West. The company delivers carnival arts national touring and capacity building activities and has also built a reputation for developing innovative collaborations, working with international artists and companies.

Paul Anderson

Paul began his working career in the Camden Youth and Community Services department, twin tracking this with a passion for community arts management and directing a West African Drumming and Dance ensemble. He was subsequently a senior officer with a Hackney-based regeneration consultancy.

In February 2003 Paul became Executive Director for the The Luton Carnival Arts Development Trust responsible for development of what is now the UK Centre for Carnival Arts (UKCCA). Paul and his team have successfully raised the finances to build this ground-breaking UK centre (opening September 2008). The UKCCA will produce a vibrant carnival arts development programme, establish an exciting range of educational programmes including a Foundation Degree, and use an innovative business incubator programme to develop enterprise and investment through Carnival. The UKCCA and its work will incorporate:

• Venue - holding up to 1000 people at any one time
• Making space - a high tech making space for costume making
• Business incubation unit - housing four larger businesses or 16 'hot desks'
• A massive courtyard for a street market - opening out onto main road for future expansion
• Bar/Café - holding 60 spaces
• Childcare facility
• Seminar and conference facilities
• Unique business development and incubation programme
• The country’s first carnival arts Foundation and Degree programme
• The first UK-wide carnival archive
• A Key Stage 3 - 4 education resource pack

Jeffrey Leib

Vice-Chairman of the Institute of Licensing, Jeffrey has been Licensing Manager at Watford Borough Council since 1995. He graduated with an Honours degree in Law in 1990 and also holds a postgraduate diploma in legal practice, and the Certificate of Higher Education in Licensing Law from the University of Birmingham. He edits Licensing News and Licensing Circles and has chaired the Licensing Policy Forum for the Local Authorities’ Co-Ordinators of Regulatory Services (LACORS) since 2007.

Abigail Cheverst

Abigail is currently Projects Officer for Sound Sense, the UK development agency for community music. She also works in a freelance capacity undertaking arts and events project management. Abigail has written a large number of articles, briefing and information sheets on health and safety for the voluntary and creative sectors and has written a series of three books.

Henrique da Silva

Henrique is the leading figure of Brazilian carnival in the UK and has taught most of the UK's samba dance teachers. In December 2001 Henrique founded Paraíso School of Samba in order to focus on creating an authentic samba school uncompromisingly following the Rio de Janeiro model in both its organisation and philosophy of integration with disadvantaged communities.

David Hill

David is Managing Director of ArtReach and has more than 25 years’ arts management experience He has worked as a theatre practitioner and director (Associate Director, Everyman Theatre Cheltenham; Artistic Director, Theatre Station Blyth); as a large-scale venue Marketing Director and as a consultant to clients of all sizes and types. His fundraising and bid writing has secured £20million+ for arts organisations. ArtReach clients have included Notting Hill Carnival; Kinetika; Strange Cargo; Derby, Leicester, Nottingham and Northampton Carnivals and carnival projects for Arts Council England.

Pax Nindi

Zimbabwean born Pax Nindi was Senior Combined Arts Officer at Arts Council England until June 2006. He initiated and directed the three-day On Route International Carnival Conferences, designed and managed the Carnivalnet website, developed the Arts Council National Carnival Arts Strategy, produced and edited the On Route carnival book and initiated International Carnival Fellowships in Brazil, Trinidad, Germany, Italy and Miami. Pax is currently Director of Combined Arts Services with roles including Artistic Director, of St Paul's Carnival, Bristol and Vice-President of the World Carnival Commission in Canada.

Leonie Sakey

Leonie is project managing Arts Council England's relationship with the London 2012 Olympics and Paralympics, working nationally and across all artforms. She is responsible for helping to coordinate and realise the opportunities that exist for UK artists in the build up to the events in 2012. She first joined the Arts Council in 2000 following an extensive career in the arts in Australia and New Zealand, both on the stage and behind the scenes.

Frankie Goldspink and Chris Slann, Isle of Wight Council

Frankie and Chris have between them more than 40 years' experience in developing and sustaining carnival and celebratory arts projects. They have worked for many local authorities and arts development agencies to support new carnival initiatives including Norwich City Council, Southampton City Council, Gosport Borough Council, InterAction Milton Keynes and Luton Borough Council.

In Luton they worked within the local authority for thirteen years to establish 'Britain's biggest one-day Carnival' and the Luton Carnival Arts Development Trust.

They currently live and work on the Isle of Wight, holding posts within the authority as Carnival Development Officer and Arts Learning Manager respectively. They have just opened the UK's first dedicated Carnival & Celebratory Arts Learning Centre as a council-led initiative.

Claudette Whittingham

Claudette Whittingham is currently Business Development Manager at London Notting Hill Carnival Limited and delivered the sponsorship drive for Carnival 2007. She is an experienced fundraiser, previously specialising in the procurement of UK and EU regeneration resources.

David Rose

David has developed and delivered marketing and communications strategies for ArtReach projects including decibel live, Three Cities, Create and Connect, Under Scan and Dance in the Park. He has worked for public and private sector organisations within the arts, culture, tourism, leisure, local authorities, education, recruitment and other consumer and business-to-business marketplaces. David worked with carnivals and festivals across Derby, Leicester and Nottingham through the Three Cities project and provides voluntary PR and commercial fundraising support to Nottingham Caribbean Carnival. He is currently ArtReach's Associate Marketing Consultant, and Communications and Marketing Manager at the London Borough of Lambeth, the largest of London's inner-city councils.

Ali Pretty

Ali Pretty is Artistic Director of Kinetika a large scale outdoor performance, street arts and carnival arts company which she founded in 1997. To date Ali has directed and designed all of Kinetika’s projects including Yemanja, Din Shuru, Roads to Freedom and Ti Jean and his Brothers. Kinetika also delivers a carnival training programme Making of Mas and a large Bloco comprising young people from Southwark, Lambeth and Tower Hamlets. Kinetika is currently developing a major four year project entitled Imagination: Our Nation working with regional partners across the country.