By hosting the EASM conference in Budapest, the region gains greater international visibility, fresh theoretical perspectives emerge in sport management, and critical discussions around AI-driven research methods are advanced. Interview with Dr Gergely Csurilla, associate professor of the Sport Economics and Decision Sciences Research Centre at the Hungarian University of Sports Science (HUSS).
– As a returning EASM conference participant, what strategic advantages does the university gain by bringing this year’s conference to Budapest?
– Hosting the EASM conference on our own campus offers unparalleled access for faculty and students to observe cutting-edge research and network directly with the field’s leading scholars. Specialized seminars for master’s and PhD students deepen their engagement with core challenges in sport management, while the broader academic community benefits from enhanced visibility among international peers—laying the groundwork for future joint projects and elevating our institution’s research profile.
– From a sport management research perspective, how does staging the conference in Central and Eastern Europe influence the field’s development?
– Until now, Central and Eastern European issues have been scarcely represented in global sport management literature. By convening the EASM conference in Budapest, we can showcase how the region’s unique historical, economic, and cultural contexts generate distinct management challenges – and highlight the rich variety of “local” settings that can drive new theoretical insights. This increased visibility will underline the field’s regional heterogeneity and encourage more research that bridges Western and CEE perspectives.
– In what ways is the rise of artificial intelligence reshaping the future research agenda in sport management, and what opportunities and challenges does it present?
– Language-based AI models have dramatically increased manuscript submissions to journals – slowing publication timelines and sometimes rendering findings outdated by the time they appear. Yet the same tools also empower non-native English researchers to translate and polish their work more effectively, lowering barriers to entry in international discourse. Going forward, our research agenda must address both the ethics and rigor of AI-assisted scholarship, as well as the ways these technologies can democratise knowledge creation.
