{"id":7598,"date":"2026-08-20T07:07:18","date_gmt":"2026-08-20T11:07:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/fabit3d.com\/knowledge-base\/partner-of-the-year-award\/"},"modified":"2026-08-20T07:07:18","modified_gmt":"2026-08-20T11:07:18","slug":"partner-of-the-year-award","status":"publish","type":"knowledge-base","link":"https:\/\/fabit3d.com\/nl\/knowledge-base\/partner-of-the-year-award\/","title":{"rendered":"Partner of the year award"},"content":{"rendered":"

A partner of the year award is the highest recognition a company gives to an external business partner, reseller or distributor for a full year of performance.<\/strong> Unlike an internal employee award, it is displayed inside another company’s offices, which makes it a piece of brand communication as much as a thank you.<\/p>\n

Why the partner of the year award is different<\/h2>\n

The recipient does not work for you. The award ends up in a reception area or a boardroom where clients, staff and often competitors see it, with your logo on it. That changes the design brief: the object has to look like it came from a brand worth being associated with, and it has to be good enough that the partner chooses to display it rather than store it.<\/p>\n

It also carries commercial weight. In most channel programs the partner of the year title influences renewal conversations, co-marketing budgets and the partner’s own sales narrative for the following year. The object is the proof they show.<\/p>\n

How the award sits in a tiered program<\/h2>\n

Partner of the year is normally the top of a structure that also includes regional winners, growth awards, newcomer awards and long term partnership recognition. The design job is to make the hierarchy visible: the top tier is larger, heavier or made in a different material, while every tier still reads as part of one family.<\/p>\n

Because these programs repeat annually, design files and finishing specifications are kept so next year’s edition matches this one. That is cheaper than a redesign and it makes the award recognisable across editions.<\/p>\n

How Fabit produces partner awards<\/h2>\n

Fabit designs and produces partner awards<\/a> in house in Antwerp, in metal, wood, acrylic, crystal and 3D printed combinations. Tiers are built from one design system, personalised per winner, and shipped worldwide to a single event or directly to partner offices. Programs run from a single flagship award to several hundred pieces. See what we build for corporate recognition<\/a> of offerte aanvragen<\/a>.<\/p>\n

What to get right before you order<\/h2>\n

Three things decide whether a partner award works. First, the criteria: partners talk to each other, so the basis for the award has to be defensible. Second, the timing: partner conferences are booked months ahead and the recipient list is often confirmed late, so the design should be locked while the names are still open. Third, the object itself has to survive being carried home in hand luggage or shipped across a border, which is a packaging decision as much as a material one.<\/p>\n

Budget follows the same logic as any program. Design and setup are shared across the run, so a set covering four categories costs far less per piece than four separate one-off awards. Most brands settle on one strong design in two or three tiers.<\/p>\n

Related terms<\/h2>\n