The American Mead Makers Association was looking for a way to inject more fun into its 2018 MeadCon conference.

While attendance at the annual event has been increasing as the honey-fermented alcoholic beverage grows in popularity, AMMA Executive Director Vicky Rowe believed there was more to do.

So she sat her team down for a brainstorming session. As ideas were shared, Rowe considered how much attendees liked the giveaways that exhibitors offer onsite. “It’s really all about the swag,” she says. “Every year, our exhibitors try to top one another in hopes of having the swag that gets people talking.”

Rowe turned to her team and said, “What epic swag could we offer that every attendee would want?”

They decided a conference T-shirt could be the perfect fit. But to up the ante, instead of AMMA producing the shirt, they decided to ask members to submit designs. “Lots of our members have amazing label designs, so we knew they’d bring the creativity,” she says.

After receiving about two dozen submissions, the AMMA staff chose member Cassandra Gore’s “Comb Together” design. “We thought it was super-creative and clever—and highlighted the work our members do in a fun way,” Rowe says.

Gore’s winning design earned her a free year of membership, a ticket to MeadCon, and admission to the conference’s networking event and mead tasting.

But she wasn’t the only winner. AMMA says the shirt created buzz onsite that continued long after the conference ended. “I can’t go anywhere without a member commenting to me about how much they love that shirt,” Rowe says.