Documentary filmmaker Ken Burns will be the keynote speaker at the Outdoor Industry Association's industry breakfast Jan. 22, kicking off the Outdoor Retailer Winter Market trade show.

The 7 a.m. event is not open to the public. With interest expected to be high among the 17,000 attendees expected at the show, OIA officials are requiring participants to pre-register at www.outdoorindustry.org for the limiting seating available at the breakfast.

After opening with the Backcountry Base Camp on Jan. 21 at Snowbasin Resort, the trade show will run Jan. 22-25 at the Salt Palace Convention Center in Salt Lake City.

Burns will give a sneak preview of his six-part, 12-hour documentary on "The National Parks: America's Best Idea." It will air on PBS in September 2009.

"This documentary is a timely and welcome opportunity for our industry," OIA President Frank Hugelmeyer said in a statement. "This spring, Americans will be seeking low-cost ways to spend time with their friends and families. Outdoor activities such as camping and hiking will have special appeal. We as an industry can tap into the resources of PBS and the film promotion to reinvigorate consumers about the outdoors."

Developed over six years, Burns's documentary focuses on the people -- "rich and poor, famous and unknown, soldiers and scientists, natives and newcomers, idealists, artists and entrepreneurs" -- who shaped national park history.

In conjunction with PBS, OIA has developed a free toolkit with suggestions to help retailers tap into the show's national promotion and encourage customers to visit parks and reconnect with nature. Toolkits will be available at the breakfast.

The breakfast at the downtown Marriott Hotel is presented by SmartWool and cosponsored by W. L. Gore, Outdoor Retailer and Open Air Magazine/USA Today.

mikeg@sltrib.com