The Outdoor Retailer trade show is the 800-pound gorilla of conventions within Utah: the largest convention in the state, the source of millions of dollars pumped into the economy . . . and something you'll never see.

Unlike other shows or conventions at the Salt Palace or South Towne Expo Center on cars or cats or religion or recreational vehicles, Outdoor Retailer is limited to manufacturers and retailers of outdoor equipment and other industry insiders. Joe Blow from Hooper will be turned away at the door.

"I've had people say to me, 'We want to see this, but they won't let us in,' " said Gov. Olene Walker. (Given her position, Walker is given a special dispensation to visit the trade show — though like anyone else, she has to hang an identification badge around her neck.)

Given all the attention Outdoor Retailer has received of late, you might be wondering what those 20,000 people from around the country and even the world are doing.

Answer: making deals.

Most of the activity within the 3,300 manufacturer exhibition booths crammed into the Salt Palace exhibition hall/ballroom/hallways/meeting rooms/auxiliary tent consists of retailers analyzing backpacks or climbing shoes or whatever and placing an order to stock their shelves.

Everywhere you go, you see people hunched over contracts.

Lori Crabtree, spokeswoman for the show's organizers, said she doesn't know how much business is transacted during the four-day show, other than "a lot." Each of the attendees would have to contract for only $10,000 — certainly a reasonable amount, given that they have flown in and incurred other expenses for the event — for the amount to reach $200 million. Participants say the real figure is likely much higher than that.

The manufacturers go to great lengths to promote their products. The trade show features spectacular displays, including a number of climbing walls, live mannequins, banners, demonstrations and a huge temporary pool, where kayakers and canoers show off the latest in water gear, frequently splashing spectators — including, incidentally, Walker — during their more daring stunts.

Salt Lake Mayor Rocky Anderson, who like Walker was taking in the show Thursday, discreetly declined an invitation to compete with a professional climber on a climbing wall (a good thing too, since the climber tied her feet together and still reached the top in 12 seconds).

There is also a glass-walled tank, basically a giant aquarium, where an upside-down kayaker has calmly submerged himself in the water head first.

Three minutes . . . four . . . five . . . he still hasn't come up for air. He stays alive — even waving to passers-by — by taking occasional breaths from the Rapid Air emergency system, which gives kayakers who get caught under a rock or something 15 to 20 breaths and thus time enough, hopefully, to extricate themselves.

Participants see the very latest in outdoor equipment at the show: clothing, shoes, climbing ropes, watches, sunglasses, spotlights, grills, tents and even a flexible solar panel that you can roll out and use to power your computer.

Regular folks, alas, will have to wait to see all this stuff until it shows up at their friendly neighborhood outdoor equipment emporium.

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