The trade show, which opened Friday and runs through Monday, has filled every inch of available space in the Salt Palace and spilled across 300 West into EnergySolutions Arena.

There, packing the arena's outer walkways beneath banners of Utah Jazz players Deron Williams, Kyle Korver and Matt Harpring were the booths of exhibitors new to the trade show.

"You have to pay your dues," said Bob Bass, whose Maine-based firm RNB Sports imports outer wear for hikers and mountain climbers. He buys the products from Grifone, a Spanish company.

Bass used to come to Outdoor Retailer a decade ago with another outdoors-oriented company, before a trade show-driven $58 million expansion added 145,000 square feet of exhibit space to the Salt Palace (to 515,000 square feet in all) in 2006.

But the Outdoor Retailer summer show filled all of that space immediately. And rather than force the trade show's organizers to put new companies on a waiting list for future years, the Salt Lake Convention & Visitors Bureau arranged to add 20,000 square feet of space in Larry Miller's arena.

"The idea was conceived about 18 months ago," said Scott Beck, Convention & Visitors Bureau president and chief executive. "We looked at tents and other things we did in the past, but EnergySolutions Arena was available, and so we gave it a shot."

Beck and trade show director Kenji Haroutunian both said the arrangement has its drawbacks and that they will be looking at other solutions to space needs for future trade shows.

Outdoor Retailer is booked through 2010, the 2011 contract is being negotiated, and the trade show has reserved dates through 2017, Beck said.

"When the expansion started, everybody involved in this process understood it would be filled right away and that what it comes down to is a real strategic discussion with the trade show owner about what the show looks like," he added. "We're not talking about another Salt Palace expansion, but ways to segment this show and using venues around the Salt Palace."

This year's segmentation relegated new exhibitors to EnergySolutions Arena. "Companies with the longest history are always in the most forward places. If you weren't in the show last year and everybody comes back [which most do], there's no place to go but to the outskirts," said Haroutunian.

Bass understands that. While he would prefer to have his booth inside the Salt Palace, exposed to more passers-by, he also figures that if a product is good, it will get noticed, no matter where it is.

"Every serious retail store has a visit to the new-product pavilion on its 'to do' list," he said, not overly concerned that Friday's foot traffic was rather slow. "Typically, on days one and two, retailers make appointments with their existing lines. But eventually they'll make it here."

mikeg@sltrib.com

* For Sean Means' take on the outdoor show go to blogs.sltrib.com/vulture.

It's bigger than ever

The Outdoor Retailer Summer Market

Trade Show will be

the largest held to date

in Salt Lake City:

* More than 23,000 manufacturers, retailers and suppliers of outdoor industry products.

* $19 million is the four-day show's estimated economic impact to Salt Lake County.

* $5.8 billion is the amount outdoor recreation in general contributes annually to Utah's economy, supporting 65,000 jobs and generating $300 million in sales tax revenues yearly.

Source: Salt Lake Convention & Visitors Bureau