“Toxic leadership. Rampant gatekeeping”: GAMA marketing and comms head blasts organisation in resignation announcement
Board game trade organisation GAMA has been accused of “rampant gatekeeping”, “toxic leadership” and disrespecting its members in a resignation announcement from its marketing and communications manager.
Amy Lowe, who was hired in the role by GAMA last October, said in a now-deleted post on LinkedIn that the non-profit was “deeply siloed and in many ways, broken” while announcing her resignation on April 1.
Lowe, who previously spent a decade working as a marketing and sales manager in the real estate industry, said in her post, which was spotted by ICv2, “Here’s the honest truth: GAMA is deeply siloed and, in many ways, broken.
“Toxic leadership. Rampant gatekeeping. Insecurity masquerading as control. Disrespect toward other staff and members.
“I witnessed staff roll their eyes at members, members who literally fund the organization. I saw internal dynamics that were petty, power-hungry, and counterproductive.
“Then came a restructuring that had me reporting to someone who openly disrespected colleagues and talked s#!% about members.
“I’ve worked in high-stakes environments. I’ve managed massive campaigns. I’ve dealt with complex teams. But I refuse to stay in a place that values ego over impact. So, I resigned, two days into the restructure.”
GAMA executive director John Stacy told BoardGameWire he was taking the criticisms seriously and was meeting with team members to discuss the matter.
A statement provided by Stacy said, “Over the past eight months GAMA has nearly doubled its staff to accommodate for our growing association.
“We now represent almost 1,700 tabletop game companies in three dozen countries. As part of this growth we have taken a hard look at how our staff was organized and made adjustments to better align with our ten year strategic plan for GAMA to be the epicenter of the tabletop industry.
“While I disagree with her categorization of our staff, we appreciate the brief time she was with us and wish her well in her future adventures.”
Lowe’s resignation means GAMA will be looking for its fifth marketing and communications head in as many years, with Danni Loe, Rachel Blaske and Mike Boseak all having moved on from the role since the middle of 2020.
GAMA’s growing membership has been reflected in the organisation rapidly outgrowing the space available for its annual GAMA Expo trade show – just a year after the show was transported to Louisville in an attempt to handle surging interest.
This year’s event at the end of February saw more than 3,420 attendees – up 26% compared to its first event at the Kentucky International Convention Centre last year, and a 67% jump from the roughly 2,040 attendees at the Expo’s last show in its former home in Reno, Nevada in 2023.
The show has now more than doubled in size since 2018 – a huge success for GAMA, and one partly down to the trade organisation’s recent push to expand beyond its decades long remit of representing hobby game publishers, retailers and wholesalers.
GAMA is already well into the process of tracking down its next new home for 2028, with the a final decision on Baltimore, Chicago and Minneapolis expected to be announced later this month.
