3 ways Cubs Convention could be improved heading into next year's event

Cubs Convention always brings a renewed sense of excitement for Cubs fans who attend the event on the banks of the Chicago River at the Sheraton. This year, with the announcement of the Shota Imanaga signing and Michael Busch trades taking place in the 24 hours prior, most people I talked to felt a sense of relief that the team had finally done something meaningful after a long winter of waiting.

I spent Friday and Saturday at the event - my first since 2020 - and it largely felt the way it always has for me: exciting. But looking at how the weekend played out (and, again, I didn't stick around for Sunday morning), there are a few ways I think the event could be improved heading into 2025.

3 ways Cubs Convention could be improved: #3 - More on-site food options

It felt like if you wanted to grab food during typical mealtimes, you were signing up to wait a minimum of 20 minutes in line - if not more. On Friday, after checking in and getting registered around lunchtime, my group actually hopped next door to Lizzie McNeils to grab food instead of waiting around.

And it seemed like the lines only got worse from there. As more folks braved the elements and made their way to CubsCon, lines got longer and longer as the weekend stretched on, peaking on Saturday afternoon with the event nearing its climax.

A nice touch could be bringing in your stadium vendors and having hot dogs and other basic ballpark fare available throughout the weekend. Chips, peanuts, Cracker Jacks - it doesn't have to be anything crazy. But this could help shorten the lines, improve the traffic flow in key areas and make us all long a little more for our return to Wrigley in the spring.

3 ways Cubs Convention could be improved: #2 - Bring back the vendors after years of downsizing this space

When I first started going to Cubs Convention back in 2018, the lower level of the Sheraton had rows and rows of vendors - offering up all sorts of Cubs memorabilia, artwork and collectibles. To be frank, it was one of my absolute favorite parts of the event and I was able to get some of my most precious pieces in my collection there.

But coming out of the pandemic, the Cubs gutted this space - offering a Cubs Store, Cubs Authentics and a handful of hand-picked partners. This year, the largest non-official Cubs retail space belonged to Obvious Shirts (which offered an amazing array of apparel items and more, several of which I purchased), but outside of that it was a very meager offering.

This is the largest wintertime gathering of Cubs fans there is. Give re-sellers and collectors a chance to bolster their collections, find unique pieces to add to their fan caves and have those great conversations that come in the process. It really added something to the Cubs Con experience and I definitely found the shopping experience to be lacking in 2024.