The company that stages the twice-yearly Outdoor Retailer exhibitions in Salt Lake City confirmed Tuesday it is "assessing additional options for venues that could host the Outdoor Retailer Summer Show for 2005 and beyond."

The company, VNU Expositions Inc., has made known its concerns about insufficient exhibit space at the Salt Palace Convention Center. Those concerns mounted during the 2003 shows, with some retailers calling for the show to find another, bigger venue.

Dianne Binger, president and chief executive officer of the Salt Lake Convention & Visitors Bureau, said VNU is conducting cost analyses on 10 alternate sites, all of which have larger convention centers. She said Tuesday she expects the company to make its decision by mid-summer.

Facing that deadline, Binger said the bureau is working with city, county and state officials to come up with an incentive package to persuade Outdoor Retailer to stay in Salt Lake City.

The show generates about $32 million in direct spending annually, Binger said. Losing the show would be "a huge loss for our community. And not only for the hospitality community, but for other retailers and businesses statewide."

The Salt Palace is simply too small for Outdoor Retailer's needs, Binger said. The show already pays $500,000 to erect a temporary pavilion in the Salt Palace's west parking lot, which is insufficient and unappealing to some exhibitors.

In the long term, Binger said the facility will need to be enlarged to meet the needs of Outdoor Retailer and attract other big shows. The Salt Palace currently includes 369,227 square feet of exhibit space, plus 54,000 square feet of meeting room space and a 45,000-square-foot ballroom. It needs another 200,000 square feet to meet the show's needs, Binger said.

In the short term, however, Binger said she hopes to raise enough money to at least allay the cost of the pavilion.

Dave Oka, executive director of the Salt Lake City Redevelopment Agency, attended a meeting at the bureau Tuesday morning to discuss Salt Palace expansion and said the city is looking to help with funding.

"The RDA and city are committed to doing whatever they can to make a contribution to the deal," he said.

Still, the RDA and the city don't have much money to help. Some have suggested the RDA may have roughly $500,000 to spend, but Oka said that figure wasn't certain.

Any expenditures would have to be approved by the City Council, acting as the RDA Board. Oka said there seems to be a renewed urgency by those seeking expansion. In light of that urgency, Oka said the funding issue could come before the RDA Board as early as May 20.