Keith's Far East adventure

Oct 10 2009 By Keith Wallis

KEITH Wallis, of Sunderland software firm ProQuin Company, recently embarked on a trade visit to China alongside regional development agency One North East. As part of our Go Global campaign, he has wrote a diary about his time in the Far East.

DAY 1 - is it like riding a bike?

It's a full 20 years since I travelled for business in any serious way and so packing for business travel should be an alien thing - but its not. It's strange how old habits stay with you so long, even down to how I pack my case and my obsession about losing my baggage and so carrying far too much in my hand luggage.

Preparing for this trip is almost like travelling back in time, the years seem to roll away as I pack my case. It's starting to feel like getting back on a bike after a long spell- you never forget do you?

This is different though. In my past travelling life I was an Engineer fixing other people's problems. On this adventure I am taking a huge bet that we can sell our software into a rapidly expanding market on the other side of the world. Not only that, but sell to a culture that is pretty much as alien as it gets. To people speaking a language that at first glance looks totally indecipherable and totally impenetrable to the western eye.

So as I tidy everything away ready for my early start tomorrow, I know full well that the problems I am looking at solving in selling to China will be the hardest ones I have ever solved. But worse still, they're not other people's problems this time - they are mine.