National Sports Collectors Convention moving to Detroit in 2028

ROSEMONT, Ill.—For the first time since 1981, the National Sports Collectors Convention will head to Detroit for its annual show.

On Saturday, the JBJ Corporation announced that the 2028 National will take place at Huntington Place in downtown Detroit. The dealers voted for Detroit over Atlanta. 

“Both facilities are awesome, they really are,” said Joe Drelich of JBJ Corporation, which manages The National. “There always has to be a winner and there always has to be a loser, no matter what it is. We’ve had Atlanta on the ballot quite a few times; we still believe in that facility, I would say. It’s a beautiful facility. The show was there in ’99, we haven’t been back there since then. But we’d love to go back there. We’ll continue to keep them if the facility’s available. But Detroit seemed to really have the heartstrings of the dealers. We try to stay out of it.”

This year’s show is currently being held in the Chicago suburb of Rosemont, Ill. The 2026 and ’27 events will also be in Rosemont. 

Earlier this week, the dealers voted on the 2028 location. 

“It is a dealers’ show. The dealers get to make the final decision,” said Jimmy Ryan of JBJ Corporation. “It’s our job to put together good facilities for The National. The research put together a good facility. We brought together two great facilities with great attractions, and the dealers make the final decision.”

The second ever National in 1981 was held at a Hilton hotel in Plymouth, Mich., a suburb of Detroit.

The guys at JBJ Corporation believe that Detroit will be a good fit for the hobby. 

“The sports teams are on the rise and it’s a very passionate fan base,” Drelich said. “The facility itself is really, really nice. People are going to be really happy with the Wi-Fi, the air conditioning, the actual facility itself is a scale up from kind of the traditional buildings that we’ve been in in the past.”

According to Drelich, there is a JW Marriott being built right now and will be finished in time for the 2028 convention. There is also a 700-room Marriott next to Huntington Place.

The Detroit River separates Detroit and Ontario. Safety surrounding Detroit and at the Canadian border is off the charts, noted Drelich.

“Safety is always a big concern,” Drelich said. “Most of the hotels you look out your room [window] and you look across the river at Canada, so it’s really cool. We’re excited about that piece of it, too. The Canadian clientele should ramp up quite a bit.”