The last Outdoor Retailer Summer show in Denver starts Thursday at the Colorado Convention Center downtown and runs through Saturday.

Show organizer Emerald X announced in March that the show would move back to Salt Lake City after a four-year run in Denver, which was marred by COVID shutdowns, cancellations and the postponed 2021 Outdoor Retailer Summer.

Organizers expect more than 550 brands to have a presence in the exhibition hall. About 20% of those companies will be new to the show.

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“For 40 years, Outdoor Retailer has provided a basecamp for our community to gather, share business solutions, exchange stories, and celebrate the outdoors,” Marisa Nicholson, senior vice president and show director, said in a release. “Now, heading into Summer, we have seen over 200% growth since last year in brand participation as companies are returning from pandemic restrictions, making this an important opportunity for our vibrant community to come together to discover new opportunities and products that will nurture our collective success and draw more people into the outdoor experience.”

When the show was at its peak in 2019 and January 2020, it would draw more than 26,000 visitors. The show this past January drew only 5,300 attendees and 1,400 retailers. The summer show in 2021 drew 7,600 visitors and 2,200 retailers, according to Emerald.

The show came to Denver in 2018 after political fallout. For 22 years, Outdoor Retailer was in Salt Lake City. But the retailer participants started to push back on the location in 2016 after Utah politicians in the Republican-controlled state supported rescinding the protected status of Utah’s Bear Ears National Monument.

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Visit Denver’s President and CEO Richard Scharf said in a recent interview that they’re “seeing incredible demand from different areas of the outdoor industry.”

“We’re probably working on four major projects right now,” said Scharf. Outdoor Retailer moving back to Salt Lake “has introduced a lot of innovation and a lot of ‘what’s next.’ I think that entire industry is going through changes. It’s really exciting some of the things we’re working on now.”

He was not ready to go public with any specific details.

Outdoor Retailer officials plan to celebrate the show’s 40th anniversary with a party opening night.

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“As we mark this milestone in Denver, we’re also adapting to today’s business climate and evolving to meet the needs of diverse stakeholders,” said Nicholson. “We are actively working to incorporate new components into the Outdoor Retailer experience as we make plans for the next three years in Salt Lake, and we look forward to sharing some of those plans during this summer’s show.”