We usually block around 4,200 hotel rooms but knew we would exceed that for our 100th Anniversary. So we blocked 5,200. They sold out almost immediately; and with our host city having so many events around the same time, we thought, ‘Oh my gosh, what are we going to do?’ But thankfully we have great national partners, and they responded in such a huge way. We were able to get an additional 12 hotels.

Our jingle says, ‘Ace is the place with the helpful hardware folks.’ We make a name for ourselves through incredible and exceptional customer service. That’s ingrained in our culture and influences our decisions about the types of partners we choose. When you know you’re working with someone with the same level of dedication to customers and attendees, it creates a bond.

We’ve spent a lot of time developing relationships with our suppliers and vendor partners. That gives them an even deeper understanding of the ACE brand as well as key initiatives like our recent 100th anniversary celebration and market. When they understand and appreciate what you’re trying to accomplish, that gives partners the insight they need to consider, ‘OK, how can I help ACE get to where they want to go?’

Clinton Harris’s 3 Quick Tips for Building Partnerships:

1. Reach out to peers and ask for recommendations as a way to build your partner network.
2. Say “Yes,” when a vendor asks to meet or take you to lunch. You never know how or when making that connection could pay off.
3. If you have a network but don’t feel your partnerships are as strong as you’d like, look for ways to spend time with and get to know your partners — asking them to lunch could be a great start!