CHICAGO -- The Cubs were thrilled to welcome full-capacity crowds back into Wrigley Field this past summer -- a missing component in the previous, pandemic-shortened campaign.

While that was a positive development that brought the familiar energy back to the Friendly Confines, there are still risks involved with mass gatherings as COVID-19 complications persist. Such concerns have led the Cubs to cancel plans for the Cubs Convention this offseason.

"We are still battling a deadly virus," Julian Green, the Cubs' senior vice president of communications, said on Saturday. "Steps have been made through life-saving vaccines and other safety protocols. We've been able to host fans at Wrigley Field, as well as other industries that have been able to host mass gatherings.

"But I think for us, hosting an ancillary fan event that's outside of the baseball season, it just made sense to kind of make this call to take every available precaution, especially as we head into the winter months."

This marks the second consecutive winter that the team will not hold its popular Cubs Convention, the first fan event of its kind in baseball back in 1986. The White Sox also recently announced the cancelation of their SoxFest.

The Cubs Convention was scheduled for January at the Sheraton Grand Chicago. That type of indoor setting creates even more complications -- especially in terms of social distancing -- for the kind of large crowds that typically show for the event.

"We're not doing it to suggest that indoor gatherings are not safe," Green said. "It's just another step that we want to take as an organization to do our part to limit the potential of any spread, especially when it involves our fans and our players."

The organization's hope will be to revive the Cubs Convention next offseason. In the meantime, Green noted that the Cubs will continue to look for other ways to engage with their season-ticket holders and other fans.

"We continue to use our social and digital platforms to do online events," Green said. "That's something we'll continue to lean into, even beyond the pandemic, because that's a great way to connect with our fans.

"So, fans should expect us to continue to use those platforms. I wouldn't say it's a replacement for a convention, but utilizing technology creates other avenues to engage with our fans. That's something we'll continue to explore and expand."