GAMA’s executive director is leaving after a ‘transformative’ seven-year tenure – just as the organisation puts its first-ever 10-year plan into operation

Hobby games trade organisation GAMA is losing executive director John Stacy next month after what it described as seven “transformative” years – and just three weeks after it unveiled ambitious plans to become  the “epicenter” of the global tabletop gaming industry.

GAMA said Stacy had overseen “a period of unprecedented growth and innovation” at the organisation, during which its membership soared 55% to almost 1,800 companies.

It said Stacy had also spearheaded the evolution of its industry professionals-focused GAMA Expo trade show from a hotel-based event to a 300,000 sq ft “convention centre showcase”, with attendance at the event more than doubling since 2019 to reach 3,420 this year.

That growth has seen GAMA almost triple its staff numbers in the last seven years, and in September the organisation hired its first-ever chief operating officer to handle its growing day-to-day operations – taking on some of the workload from the executive director.

Stacy’s decision to leave GAMA for an unnamed trade association in the medical field comes just a couple of weeks after the organisation revealed its first-ever 10-year plan, which GAMA president Nicole Brady told BoardGameWire was part of an attempt to get the organisation away from “playing whack-a-mole” on issues rather than managing them in a long-term strategy.

The wide-ranging strategy includes GAMA aiming to boost its membership within both hobby games and the mass market, expand itself into a global organisation, shift its finances away from the current heavy reliance on the annual GAMA Expo and Origins shows, and lead the conversation on sustainability within the industry.

Brady said the organisation’s fall planning session last year saw the board draw up a list of ambitious, “pie in the sky” ideas about where they would like to see GAMA in a decade, before giving Stacy the autonomy to figure out how those plans could be achieved.

GAMA said its board of directors had initiated a leadership transition process with an as-yet-unnamed interim executive director while they search for a new leader, who will be “focused on implementing its ambitious 10-year strategic plan”.

Stacy’s tenure as executive director included the Covid-19 pandemic, during which GAMA said he “guided the organization through rapid pivots to virtual programming and retailer support, while mobilizing industry-wide advocacy for federal relief”.

He has also been at the forefront of GAMA’s extensive lobbying and awareness efforts around the impact on the industry of US tariffs, which have included multiple trips to Washington DC to lobby politicians, conducting dozens of media interviews to highlight the devastating impact of tariffs on the hobby, and supporting two lawsuits disputing Trump’s power to set the tariffs without agreement from the US Congress.

Other initiative launched by GAMA under his leadership include the Horizon Fellowship – an annual diversity programme which offers cash grants, convention support and mentorship to new board game publishers and retailers from under-represented communities – the recently-created Game Store Day, the GAMA Resource Hub, Around the Table magazine, and the Winter Wishlist retail buying guide.

Stacy said, “Leading GAMA has been one of the most rewarding chapters of my career. I’m proud of the team we’ve built and the foundation we’ve laid.

“GAMA is well-positioned for its next chapter, and I have full confidence in the board’s transition plan and the search for a new leader.”

GAMA president Nicole Brady told BoardGameWire, “John Stacy has been an integral part of the organization since joining the team as executive director.

“Not only did he guide GAMA through Covid on a skeleton crew, but he also helped launch new initiatives and grow the organization into what we see today.

“A year ago at this time, when the Board of Directors outlined GAMA Vision 2035, executive director Stacy was part of that conversation, and key to the rollout and implementation.

“We appreciate his contributions and dedication and wish him the best of luck as he rejoins leadership at a trade association in the medical field.”

GAMA renamed itself for the first time in its almost 50-year history last month, in an attempt to reflect its big push in recent years to better represent professionals from right across the modern tabletop industry.

The organisation – which will still be legally named The Game Manufacturers Association – has rebranded to GAMA: The Tabletop Game Association, something it said “reinforces GAMA’s commitment to inclusiveness, relevance, and leadership in the tabletop space”.

That name change is intended to exhibit GAMA’s shift away from purely representing publishers, retailers and wholesalers into an organisation which also encompasses designers, manufacturers, media, events organisers and third-party service providers.