Hotel Room Adapting

England, bloody 'ell.

Being a born and bred sport-mad Englishman has made for a rollercoaster life.

We invented sports, y'know. And the like.

We are forever playing in every other nation's cup final. Even when not an actual final. The ABE (Anybody But England) trope accompanies me around the globe.

Yet we both revel in and swerve this. And still win world championships. Across everything. Although latterly, this is becoming a little trickier. Especially with deeply more populous and astonishingly funded countries rising. That second place (really) at Rio 2016 a new standard.

So in the aftermath of a quite frankly ridiculous victory - to progress through to the last eight of the current football Euros, mind - analysis is almost futile.

One sideline item that caught my attention was the retirement (sacking) of a 69yo commentator that same weekend.

Whilst I abhor and rail against the premature push out to pasture of the greying - often with so much game-changing wisdom to tap into still - and before you rush to scream 'stale, pale, male!', let me state the obvious. There has never been a decent football commentator. The absence of this particular one certainly won't be missed. I long for the days to return when from the menu of options you could simply select 'stadium effects only'.

This guy even * shock * uses social media. Duly providing a half-dozen brief video clips of his last ever day on the job for the broadcaster employing him the past three decades.

He begins with a cuppa at his German hotel. Then pops up to his room. A scene of which the travelling rep will be familiar. As he scans around, we see unmade bed, opened suitcase on floor with clothes a-crumpled and then, this.

He deems his room 'pokey', with this being too small a space at which to work. So heads downstairs to reception. Where we hear 'chill music' accompany his matchday prep.

Let's consider this set-up. One on occasion enforced upon us.

It is indeed restricting. The appeal of a corner in larger communal space elsewhere clear.

From where you might even, with a decent pair of earphones, be able to make a video call.

Whether your fellow participants would appreciate that is, as I've written before, a whole other matter.

In which case, you'd need to either book your own privado spot (subsequent Expenses checks notwithstanding) or mend and make do.

Let's imagine budgets don't stretch to the former or the option does not exist.

I remember the first time I made a business video call from a hotel room. In America. Setting not dissimilar to that we glimpse above.

Apple's ipads had just come out. You could facetime like never before.

What passed for a desk also housed a variety of caddy paraphernalia. All placed on floor beside.

I'd found a rolled blanket in the wardrobe which doubled as my tablet stand. My laptop could just squeeze alongside.

My bed was not fixed in place, so could move closer to desk. I laid out all my supporting paperwork on it.

And I'd purloined an extra chair. Using that as my writing 'desk'. Incidentally, a tactic still worthy today.

The lighting wasn't great. The backdrop less than ideal. And there was a moment when I wanted to show something that was only somewhere deep within my tablet.

Yet it ran well.

When you start thinking about these things, your videoing gets naturally elevated.

You can adapt pretty much any space to make a video sales call with impact.

One which draws the prospect closer to you, and you closer to closing.

You just got to get in that mindset.