Before founding The TAGS Group, Stacy served in-house with the trade association representing the North American toy industry, where he helped shape and produce the annual Toy of the Year Awards (TOTY), a 600-plus-person celebration honoring the year’s most innovative toys, industry leaders, and philanthropic impact.

Designed as the toy industry’s annual grown-up night out, the 2014 edition of TOTY balanced awards-show excitement with theatrical spectacle, immersive entertainment, and fundraising.

From the moment guests arrived at the Grand Hyatt New York, the atmosphere leaned fully into music, light, and performance. Stilt-walking greeters with glowing hair and an electric violinist transformed the opening reception into an immersive pre-show experience before attendees were ushered upstairs into “Club TOTY” — a cabaret-style environment filled with lasers, fog effects, strobe lighting, DJ-driven music, and tables waiting with wine and cheese service throughout the ceremony.

The evening’s opening performance by America’s Got Talent sensation iLuminate flooded the ballroom with glowing choreography and illuminated costumes, setting the tone for a production built around surprise and sensory energy. Later in the night, guests received bags filled with glow jewelry and glow sticks before the announcement of the evening’s biggest awards, turning the ballroom itself into part of the spectacle.

But beneath the theatricality was a meaningful celebration of the industry’s history and community.

A performance by the LaGuardia High School Show Choir underscored a moving in memoriam tribute, while a musical homage to the founders of the Wham-O toy company anchored the evening’s dessert reception and honored the creativity and imagination that continue to define the industry decades later.

Every part of the experience was designed to feel playful, immersive, and larger than life — a reflection of the industry itself.

The celebration reminded people why they fell in love with toys and play.