As a former basketball player – or perhaps more accurately a basketball player who couldn’t quite make the big time – my sportsperson mantra of practice, preparation and execution still runs strong in my veins.

My shoulders might be past it, but I remain hooked on the feeling of a big game and what it takes to win.

Talk to any sportsperson and they will tell you that to perform at their very best, wellbeing must be at the forefront of their lifestyle.

Today, my achievements are more measured in meeting room pitches than on the court, but I still carry these sporting mantras with me.

Like many of us in this industry, I’m no stranger to frequent travel. And after a recent red-eye back to London from Houston I’ve been feeling up close and personal to the theme of wellbeing in business travel.

Of course, there are lots of elements of a trip that can be out of your control – and sometimes even chaotic – but there are key choices we can make to create the best possible experiences. 

As a salesperson I need to make sure I have enough quiet time in my schedule in order to reflect, plan and crucially visualise how I will win. No one can be successful without preparation.

I’m in a lucky position to work for a company with a business travel policy that supports travellers feeling valued.

A chauffeur service to my sales pitches isn’t seen as a luxury, it’s quite rightly regarded as an absolute essential to allow me to get into the right head space, to rehearse and feel ready for an important moment of high pressure.

This approach doesn’t just apply to those most senior or those in the revenue-earning roles. Everyone’s time and comfort should be respected and protected.

The reason for the travel should determine whether a chauffeur service is required, rather than the seniority of the traveller. 

The theme of wellbeing was one of the key topics of conversation when over 30 travel managers and representatives from travel management companies generously shared their time to take part in some honest and open debate at our recent Business Travel Lunch Forum and Workshop in London in partnership with The Business Travel Magazine (see report on page 30).

As an industry we’re all working to translate duty of care and traveller wellbeing into a value that can be understood, and therefore invested in. Together with our industry colleagues we discussed how we can collectively help businesses to see travel not as a cost centre but as a profit centre.

The profit potential as a result of well-managed business travel is something we should all be buying into, but we’re not there yet in getting those outside of our sector to buy into it.

Dodgy shoulders aside, I’m committed to bringing my best game to this challenge. We’re at an important inflection point in the industry and it’s going to take a whole team effort to bring this one home. 

The true value of business travel is in the performance and engagement of our people

When we get it right, like true sportspeople, we can maximise this winning chance.  

Jason Dunderdale is Global Director of Sales for chauffeur specialist Blacklane.