Bring together nearly 100 ice cream professionals for a three-day conference and there will be plenty of innovations to discuss. Toss in a contest for the most innovative flavor and the competition heats up.

That's just what happened last month in Scottsdale, Ariz., at the IDFA Ice Cream Technology Conference.

Wells' Dairy, Le Mars, Iowa took the top prize for its indulgent Diet Another Day which features chunks of cheesecake. Voting attendees selected the flavor even before they knew about its clever name.

Other award winners included Perry's Ice Cream of Akron, N.Y., Star Kay White, White Congers, N.Y. and Sensient Flavors, Indianapolis.

Each year attendees are invited to send two flavors of ice cream to the contest, and for the first time this year a category of low-sugar and low-carb products was added to the competition.