Gábor Bódis Lecturer at Budapest Metropolitan University.
Recently we had an interview with him where he shared some of his great moments at METU
1.Courses taught by you?
Leisure and Tourism Studies, Tourism Destination Management, Tourism Marketing, Principles of Marketing, Strategic Marketing, International Marketing, Sales and Marketing in Health Tourism, Social Studies Project
2.How did your journey began at METU?
I quite a new one at the uni, a few years ago, I was asked to teach some principle subjects in Marketing as well as Tourism. Previously, I used to teach tourism and marketing-related subjects at a bilingual secondary school, so it was not a huge change in terms of dealing with students. Earlier on, I worked for the Tourism Office of Budapest, my scope was to manage the marketing and communications division. Not only does my practical market awareness that has been extended since that time contribute toward the values and the learning outcomes my students can benefit from, but also my active integration in today's tourism professional pools that I am so happy to belong to. Being a member of the Association of Tourism Developers and Consultants, a member of the Tourism, Catering and Sports Department of the Hungarikum Committee, I am very often interviewed by the professional and the national media.
3.As a professor / leader according to you what is the most dynamic thing about METU? *
First of all, it is the view, the perspective as a student is seen by the management as well as by the community of teachers. He or she is not someone to be educated and evaluated afterwards as if they were mass produced, but uniquely in Hungary, our students are human co-creators. In fact, we teachers would not experience such a great evolution on our career paths without them. They cannot believe how much we can actually learn from them. Secondly, it is the openness, the atmosphere, the programs, trainings that we all are able to give some modern and cool touch to our lessons, lectures and seminars. Finally, but I could talk about it for ages, it is the time-perspective. Some key-teachers are truly future-oriented in a sense that not the decade-old materials are boringly presented, but thanks to the recent technological advancements and some creative teaching methodology, the time one spends at our campuses will be an ever-decisive, remarkable and unforgettable period determining future careers with inevitable, and very often instant success.
4.Being a Teacher which course is your most favourite one and why so?
Tourism Destination Management, as it is a very complex and practical subject. Also, as a practitioner, publisher as well as a researcher in this field, I am able to combine the experiences out in the field with the academic knowledge. This is the area I am able to involve my students the most into, and hopefully they will have the best and future-proof understanding of tourism, destinations and marketing, wherever they start working.
5.How it feels being a part of such an International community and how it evolves you as a professor / leader?
Well, I went the Nottingham Trent University in Britain, where both Economic Geography, which was my major there, and Tourism were taught in a very dynamic and enjoyable way. I will never ever forget those field trips, shorter or longer ones, where I had a chance to get insight into the real world of tourism and the interpretation of experience-based findings. It was an authentic international community for me, the first one, let's say for a young person living behind the iron curtain beforehand. Without that first-hand experience, I would not enjoy every moment of my educational activities that much today.
6.How would you describe your overall experience at METU so far?
Not easy to put it into a sentence, as METU is a different world. Let me point out one thing only. Luckily, as I am a guest lecturer at some other universities, too, the comparison that I can make, believe me, is well-rooted. What I dislike is administration, but thanks to the wonderful staff here, ranging from educational to training, form IT to student information departments, they can turn the unwholesome tasks into positive and fruitful results and smiles on my face, within a very short time. Priceless.
7.If you have to define METU and the community at METU in one sentence how will you define it?
A different world here in Hungary where education can be co-creation and fun.
