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International markets can be daunting but exciting! Here’s how you can be ready for your first one.
I guess when we first applied to our first overseas market (which was in Australia!) we just thought “Hey this would be cool, let’s try it out!”. I remember the day we got the acceptance email, there was a short “Woohoo” moment which was immediately followed by a longer “um… so what do we do now?” moment. So we sat down and cleared the obvious; flights and accommodation first as these tend to be more costly closer to the date of your travels and would take the bulk of the cost of the trip
Some important things you should consider when booking these two things would be comfort, budget, and convenience. If your flight is going to be long, we suggest booking a better flight even if it is costly. It’s always better to start your trip with less anxiety, and things taken care of for you, especially if it’s your first trip.
For your accommodations, think about how you’ll be travelling to and fro on both your event days, and your free and easy days. Taking a private hire vehicle can add up quickly! Different countries also provide different options, from AirBnBs to hotels, so make sure you explore your options.
The next few steps were much trickier, which was to submit and clear all the necessary documentation prior to our flight. For us to enter Australia from Singapore, we needed to submit documents such as:
The process was relatively easy for us as everything can be done online, but it does have some costs as well that will contribute to the overall costs of the trip. However, I recommend doing your documentation as early as possible so you accommodate for delays, especially for Visa applications.
In addition to this, I think it is also important to note what you can and cannot bring into the country too! For example, Australia has strict rules against bringing in food and wood products, so please do the appropriate research for what you would be bringing in.
Last but not least, and I daresay the worst step, deciding what to bring. You have to pretty much find the balance between deciding what to bring, how much to bring and how the heck to fit everything into your luggages while keeping the contents protected. To help you, streamline your inventory to your bestsellers, products that represent your brand best, and things that fit the market. You can consider splitting your stock into two luggages as well, so that in the very unfortunate situation where one of them gets lost, you’ll still have some stock in the other. Don’t forget to measure your luggage space if you’re bringing large display set ups too!
For us, we really wanted to bring a variety of products to showcase what we had to offer (which also meant that we had to bring displays), but at the same time also bring sufficient stock so we don’t disappoint anyone. We ended up cramming our luggage full to the bursting point and hand-carried all our personal belongings aboard the flight.
In conclusion, DO YOUR RESEARCH BEFORE YOUR TRAVEL!! And don’t procrastinate! It's always better to be prepared than to be caught off-guard and adding to the already stressful situation. But with all things, it won't always go perfectly according to plan. Things break, you forget to bring some stuff; it's normal. What's important is that you deal with it, make the best of your trip, and have a great time!
