There’s nothing like a little friendly competition to get people moving, whether on a difficult project, a new idea, or, in the case of The Obesity Society, through the halls of the convention center at its last annual meeting.

TOS colocates its annual Obesity Week conference with the annual meeting of the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery. In keeping with their emphasis on healthy lifestyles, TOS and ASMBS went head-to-head in their first Pedometer Challenge at last year’s event in Boston. Attendees from each organization wore pedometers provided by a sponsor (or used their own devices) and reported the steps they logged at the end of each day. TOS identified daily winners— individuals and teams—in its newsletter and social media.

At the end of the week, the names of 10 people with the highest number of steps in a day were entered in a raffle; the winner snagged a trip for two to a resort. “The winner organization got recognition and bragging rights,” said TOS Executive Director Francesca Dea. That honor went to ASMBS.

The activity attracted about 500 participants. “There was chatter about it throughout the meeting, and I anticipate next year there will be a lot more,” Dea says. Last year’s sponsor was so pleased with the outcome that it signed on for 2015 as well.

“There were a ton of little details to work out,” Dea says, “but in the end, it was a great success.”