On 8 April the best Russian pro-riders showed their skills during the Men's Health Rail Master jib contest at the Dombay ski resort. A two hour jam session (during which boarders can have an unrestricted number of attempts, of which the best is evaluated) gave the contestants a chance to show their best stuff. Last year the first Men’s Health Rail Master already proved to be a big hit, featuring thousands of spectators, dozens of sportsmen, loud music and plenty of drive. This year the jib contest attracted even more attention. The DJ's Denis Simachev and Masha Pirumova from Moscow's Low Budget Family, a popular group of DJ's, also played at the awards. The Men’s Health Rail Master closed the season in Russia.

In May, Sanoma Uitgevers' Kek magazine was relaunched as Kek Mama in a highly secretive, surprise competitive move. Prompted by the arrival of a competing Mama (from Bonnier), Kek Mama was developed in just seven weeks. Advertisements were sold by presenting the magazine concept to a selected group of advertisers, without glossy brochure or presentation - 36.5 advertisements were sold. 70,000 Magazines were distributed, of which approximately 60% was sold according to early indicators. 180,000 additional copies were distributed with other magazine titles like Kinderen and Living. The launch date was kept top secret - Kek Mama managed to hit the stores one day before Mama was introduced. Since its introduction already 6,000 mums have subscribed to Kek Mama. Mums who already subscribed to Kek have received a letter asking them whether they wished to continue their subscription to the new Kek Mama - only a few of them cancelled their subscription. Although it is still early days, Kek Mama seems to be the victor in the battle of the mums.

Sanoma Magazines Finland's internal training days, SMF Summit 08, were organised at SMF Tower in Helsinki from 16 till 18 May. The three-day event was packed with over forty presentations, case studies and panels about magazine making. Big strategies but also best practices on a grass-roots level went hand-in-hand. Summit's main goal is to share top-level in-house expertise and know-how. Out of the 600 people strong Summit target audience, a total number of 2,050 participations were recorded. And according to an online survey they were very happy with the event: 43% of the 129 respondents evaluated Summit as 'Excellent', a further 50% ranked it as 'Good'. The most popular presentation came from the four man group Hidas Oy ('Slow ltd.') that consists of well-known Finnish musicians and an ex-record company boss. Their show, which highlighted the meaning of tolerance in a creative work environment, combined theory, personal experiences and music in a way that fascinated the fully-booked 200-person auditorium.

From 20 May onwards Story*, Belgium's oldest celebrity magazine, will be the star amongst the stars. The relaunched Story* will have the highest celebrity density in Flanders with the most glamour as well. No other magazine will offer such a unique, merry and emotional view in the lives of stars as Story*. Stars come from all walks of life, showbizz stars, but also politicians, artists and sportsmen. And Story* lovers will be able to follow the lives of these stars across media. In print, through the new Story* website, the new e-mail newsletter on Mondays, and through new SMS alerts. Story* will do anything in its power to offer its current 824,000 readers (in 2007) the best scoops first and is open for new readers as well!

In Finland Suomen Huippumalli haussa, Finland's Next Top Model, is currently being broadcasted on Nelonen, SanomaWSOY's TV-channel. And Cosmopolitan Finland is an important partner! After Grazia sponsored Holland's Next Top Model, this is the second time one of Sanoma Magazines' brands is involved with the well-known TV-concept. In the program 12 young women are battling in a fierce elimination race to become one of Finland's star fashion models. At the same time the program offers an exciting glimpse behind the scenes of the fashion industry. All women were already photographed for an editorial fashion shoot in Cosmopolitan in episode four, but when in the last episode one of them will be crowned Finland's Next Top Model, she will also get an exclusive Cosmo cover shoot.

Independent Media's financial newspaper Vedomosti has launched an internet version of its glossy supplement 'How To Spend It'. 'How To Spend It' has been published since February 2000. The stylish glossy magazine follows the lifestyle of its readers with features about travel, interiors and elite sports with an ironical tone of voice, aiming at readers with a good sense of humour as well as a well-developed bank account.

Sanoma Magazines International moved from its original locations to Tallinn, Estonia, on 20 till 23 May for the annual SMI Strategy Conference. Around 60 key staff members gathered in the 30-storey high Swissotel on the edge of the UNESCO World Heritage city centre to exchange knowledge and plan for the future. This year's theme was 'Harvesting Creativity'. Led by creativity experts from COCD, SMI battled with GPS boards to tackle dilemmas like how to overcome pressure on magazine circulations. On Friday morning this was helped by interesting cases from other Sanoma Magazines companies including Sanoma Magazines Finland and Sanoma Hearst Romania. After an exciting wrap-up off the best ideas harvested during the conference, CEO Koos Guis closed the meeting and pledged to introduce these ideas to the SMI Management Board to see how they could be developed further.