Helsinki Book Fair, the largest book event in Finland, from 27 October to 30 October brings together Finnish authors, publishers, booksellers, organisations, libraries, and numerous book lovers. Also SanomaWSOY Group's many operations can be found on the fifth Fair.

- Helsinki Book Fair is the biggest book event in Finland. You could call it the tentacles of the book publishing: in the Fair you can sense, what is happening in the industry and what the consumers are expecting, explains Leena Valpio, Manager, Store Merchandising in Suomalainen Kirjakauppa bookstore chain.

- This year, the program focuses on thematic discussions in order to increase the interaction between the event and the society. During these days, Helsinki Fair Centre is filled with intelligent and witty authors. It is only natural that we give them an opportunity to discuss, says Päivi Holmqvist, PR Officer from WSOY's Marketing Department. - Our authors also consider the event as an important opportunity to meet their readers, other writers, as well as other people from the industry.

Senior School Pupils as Newspaper Editors

- Large consumer events, especially Helsinki Book Fair, are significant for Helsingin Sanomat newspaper. The stand and the daily programme are organised in co-operation with several units of the paper. This year we will be interviewing domestic and foreign authors, and also the three Senior Editors-in-chief of Helsingin Sanomat as well as introducing new books, tells Hilkka Saarinen, Marketing Assistant of Helsingin Sanomat.

A Day as a Journalist competition for senior school pupils is now organised in connection with the Helsinki Book Fair. This traditional competition gives 16-17-year old students a possibility to be part of the editorial office of Helsinki Sanomat. Each group of students is responsible editing either a page for the domestic, city, sport, or cultural section of the daily.

- In addition to the items selected by the students, each page will also contain a story linked to the Fair: a picture, gallup, interview of an writer or something else related both the event as well as to the section they are responsible of, explains the Editor in charge of the competition, Marja-Riikka Saaristo.

Close to the Reader

- A large number of school classes and children visit the Fair. Therefore the event offers us a change to get close to our readers, to hear their comments and opinions, says Riku Perälä, from Sanoma Magazines Finland's Youth Publishing. In Sanoma Magazines Finland's stand visitors will find both books and comics, and the programme includes events with Donald Duck theme, among others.

In Helsinki Book Fair, you can find e.g. the book publishers WSOY and Weilin+Göös, the book store Suomalainen Kirjakauppa as well as the daily newspaper Helsingin Sanomat and the magazines publisher Sanoma Magazines Finland. All these are part of the SanomaWSOY Group.