Mancuso Show Management

What Mancuso Show Management does

Mancuso Show Management Inc. is a privately held event management company founded in 1987 by brothers David and Peter Mancuso, headquartered in New Hope, Pennsylvania. The company specializes in producing and managing national and international quilt, wearable, and textile art festivals, with three flagship event products: the Pennsylvania National Quilt Extravaganza (PNQE), the Mid-Atlantic Quilt Festival (M-AQF), and the QuiltFest Virtual Schoolhouse. These events include juried quilt and wearable art competitions, merchant malls, special exhibits, workshops, and lectures, drawing thousands of attendees per show. The business serves individual quilters, textile artists, instructors, and vendors, with a separately branded sub-brand identity ("QuiltFest").

The company's technology stack consists of an e-commerce registration platform on quiltfest.com, telephone-based registration, and a Zoom-delivered virtual workshop infrastructure for the QuiltFest Virtual Schoolhouse. Revenue is generated through vendor booth fees, competition entry fees ($20-$40 per entry), workshop registration fees ($20 registration plus $65-$125 per workshop), kit add-on sales ($12-$45), and event sponsorship income. Sponsorship revenue is anchored by sewing machine manufacturers including Bernina (founding sponsor), Brother, Baby Lock, Janome, Viking, Pfaff, and Handi Quilter.

Distribution occurs through self-serve online registration, telephone registration (Monday-Thursday, 9:30am-4:30pm ET), in-person festival attendance at convention center venues in Pennsylvania and Virginia, and a globally accessible virtual workshop platform. The company markets through segmented email newsletters across U.S. regions and active social media presence on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and YouTube. Operating with 11-50 employees across event coordination, design, and set-up teams, the company has no disclosed external institutional investment, parent company, or subsidiary structure.

Name

Mancuso Show Management

Legal name

Mancuso Show Management Inc.

Website

https://quiltfest.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1987

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Mancuso Show Management is a privately held event management company that produces and operates national quilt, wearable, and textile art festivals, including the Pennsylvania National Quilt Extravaganza, the Mid-Atlantic Quilt Festival, and the QuiltFest Virtual Schoolhouse, serving quilters, instructors, vendors, and sewing machine industry sponsors.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Textile Arts Event Management

NAICS

Convention and Trade Show Organizers (56192), Convention and Trade Show Organizers (561920)

akta.pro primary industry

Retail, Consumer Goods & Lifestyle Shows Organizers (THAHABAJ)

Keywords

• Quilt festivals
• Textile art events
• Wearable art competitions
• Virtual quilting workshops
• Event management services

Headquarters

HQ city

New Hope

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Vendor Booth Fees: Revenue from vendors renting booth space at quilt festivals to sell quilting supplies, machines, and fabrics.
2. Competition Entry Fees: Entry fees for quilt and wearable art competitions, with $40 per entry for PNQE quilt competition and $20 for special challenges.
3. Workshop Registration: Fees for virtual workshops ranging from $65-$125 per workshop plus $20 registration fee. Workshops offered in various categories including 3-hour and 6-hour formats.
4. Sponsorship Revenue: Revenue from event sponsors including founding sponsors, major sponsors, and special exhibit sponsors for festivals.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Mancuso Show Management produces, manages, and operates major quilt, wearable, and textile arts festivals in the United States, including the Pennsylvania National Quilt Extravaganza (PNQE) and the Mid-Atlantic Quilt Festival (M-AQF), along with the QuiltFest Virtual Schoolhouse online workshop series. Revenue is generated from consumer event/competition/workshop entry fees, vendor booth rentals, and corporate sponsorships from major sewing machine brands. The company also curates juried competitions, vendor merchant malls, special exhibits, and instructional workshops at each event.

Product overview

Mancuso Show Management operates as a quilt, wearable, and textile arts festival management company with three core live event products: the Pennsylvania National Quilt Extravaganza (PNQE), the Mid-Atlantic Quilt Festival (M-AQF), and the QuiltFest Virtual Schoolhouse. These flagship events are supported by competition programs (Quilt & Wearable Art Competitions), vendor and instructor participation programs, special exhibits curation, and a volunteer program. The company serves the quilting and textile art community through in-person festivals featuring merchant malls, workshops, and exhibitions, as well as virtual online education via live Zoom workshops.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Pennsylvania National Quilt Extravaganza (PNQE) Annual premier in-person quilt, wearable, and textile art festival for individual quilters, textile artists, vendors, and instructors. Features juried competitions, merchant malls, workshops, and special exhibits.
• Mid-Atlantic Quilt Festival (M-AQF) Largest quilt festival on the Eastern Seaboard, held at the Hampton Roads Convention Center in Hampton, VA, for individual quilters, wearable art creators, vendors, and instructors. Features competitions, exhibitions, merchant malls, and instructor-led workshops.
• QuiltFest Virtual Schoolhouse Online virtual quilting and textile art education program for quilters and textile artists worldwide. Features live Zoom workshops taught by instructors from around the world, ranging from 3 to 6 hours in duration.
• Quilt and Wearable Art Competitions Juried and judged competitions across multiple categories including Innovative/Traditional, Mid-Century Modern, and Wall Quilt divisions for individual quilters and wearable art creators. Includes Best of Show awards and sewing machine workmanship awards.
• Celebrating Women Challenge Special juried quilt challenge celebrating women, open to U.S. residents, with entry fees partially donated to a domestic violence non-profit. Premieres at PNQE and travels to M-AQF.
• Vendor Booth Program Booth rental opportunity for small businesses and manufacturers to exhibit and sell quilting, sewing, and textile-related merchandise at PNQE and M-AQF merchant malls.
• Instructor Teaching Program Teaching engagement program for skilled quilting and textile art instructors to lead workshops and lectures at in-person shows and virtual events, with structured teaching fee schedules for 3-hour, 6-hour, and 60-90 minute lecture formats.
• Special Exhibits Curation Program Opportunity for curators and artists to present curated quilt, garment, and textile exhibitions at Mancuso shows, subject to review by show management.

Quantifiable outcome

• Thousands of attendees per major event
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

17 partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, major and minor.

• BerninaflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Founding Sponsor of Mid-Atlantic Quilt Festival. Provides sponsorship support and award prizes including BERNINA 325 Sewing Machine for Best Sewing Machine Workmanship Award at PNQE.
• BrothermajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Major Annual Sponsor of Mid-Atlantic Quilt Festival, supporting the quilting community through event sponsorship.
• Baby LockmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Major Sponsor providing Baby Lock Jubilant Sewing Machine as prize for Best Sewing Machine Workmanship Award in Wall Quilt Competition.
• JanomemajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Major Sponsor of Mid-Atlantic Quilt Festival, supporting the quilting event.
• VikingmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Major Sponsor of Mid-Atlantic Quilt Festival, supporting the quilting event.
• PfaffmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Major Sponsor providing Pfaff Smarter 140s as prize for Best Sewing Machine Workmanship Award in Mid-Century Mod Competition.
• Handi QuiltermajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Sponsor providing Longarm Machine Workmanship Awards at competitions.
• A Different TouchminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Founding Sponsor of Mid-Atlantic Quilt Festival.
• Tidewater Sewing & VacminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Major Sponsor of Mid-Atlantic Quilt Festival.
• GraceminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Bronze Sponsor of Mid-Atlantic Quilt Festival.
• CW.Wood (Cherrywood Fabrics)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Special Exhibit Sponsor of Mid-Atlantic Quilt Festival.
• Wilsons Calico CornerminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Special Vendor Sponsor of Mid-Atlantic Quilt Festival.
• Fork Mountain QuiltingminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Special Vendor Sponsor of Mid-Atlantic Quilt Festival.
• KAT StudiominorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Special Vendor Sponsor of Mid-Atlantic Quilt Festival.
• French ConnectionsminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Special Vendor Sponsor of Mid-Atlantic Quilt Festival.
• A Woman's PlaceminorOthers · 1 January 2026Non-profit domestic violence organization. Fifty percent of Celebrating Women Challenge entry fees donated to A Woman's Place in Bucks County, Pennsylvania.
• IQnectionminorOthersWebsite design and hosting provider for quiltfest.com

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Original Sewing & Quilt Expo: Multi-city sewing and quilt consumer show run by CMK Events, combining competitions, workshops and merchant malls across regions—matching Mancuso's in-person festival model.
• Road to California Quilt Show: Large juried quilt competition and quilt show held annually in Ontario, California since 1995; rivals Mancuso PNQE for prestige and traveling-quilt-circuit sponsorship share.
• Quilts, Inc. Producer of multiple major U.S. quilt festivals (Houston, Long Beach, Pacific International); an established multi-event organizer competing for the same vendor and sponsor ecosystem as Mancuso.
• American Quilter's Society (AQS): Operates the Quiltweek series of multi-city quilt festivals (Lancaster, Daytona, Branson, Paducah, etc.) with competitions, merchants malls, and workshops—the most direct multi-event quilt festival peer to Mancuso's PNQE and M-AQF.
• Pacific International Quilt Festival (PIQF): Major West Coast quilt festival featuring judged competitions, exhibits, and a merchants' hall; directly comparable flagship-event format to Mancuso's PNQE.
• International Quilt Festival (Houston): Largest quilt festival in North America (Houston), run by Quilts, Inc., with competitions, exhibitions, classes and a merchant mall; sets the scale benchmark for shows like PNQE.

Regional players

• Vermont Quilt Festival: Annual New England quilt festival with juried shows, classes, and merchants; comparable format to Mancuso events but with a focused regional draw and smaller footprint.

Others

• CHA - The Craft & Hobby Association (Association of Creative Industries): Industry association serving the broader craft and hobby market; adjacent player that influences supplier/sponsor relationships and tradeshow policy relevant to Mancuso's vendor base.

Broad incumbents

• Informa Markets (Crafts & Hobbies portfolio): Global events giant running multiple craft and lifestyle consumer shows; a much larger incumbent that competes indirectly for sponsors, instructors and attendees across the crafts/textile category.
• Creativation (Informa Markets): Major craft industry trade show organized by Informa Markets; overlaps with Mancuso's quilting/textile craft audience at the exhibitor and instructor level but covers broader hobby categories.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC3y6BbGYviDx-FpBCGSO9Gg
• Facebookfacebook.com/QuiltfestShows
• Instagraminstagram.com/Quiltfest
• Pinterestpinterest.com/QuiltfestShows
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/mancuso-show-management

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Mancuso Show Management