Wellington creatives say Foxtail Events lack artist promotion

“Problematic and cash grabby” is how a small business owner describes Foxtail Events upon reaching out to Massive prior to a market at Massey’s Wellington campus a week ago.  

On July 19th, a comic and pop culture expo took place in the Pyramid on campus, organised by Foxtail Events. The Wellington-based company is known for hosting events like the Cuba Dupa market, the Brewtown Winter Craft Market, and the Creepy Cute Market.  

Mark*, a small business who wished to remain anonymous, contacted Massive prior to the event, expressing concerns about Foxtail entering a student space.  

He had previously sold at several Foxtail-run markets, but said this year’s Cuba Dupa was his final straw. “They’ve always been a bit iffy with making promises of advertisement in their events and it falling through. Cuba Dupa was especially bad.”  

He claimed Foxtail often promotes its vendors too close to event day — sometimes even the day before — resulting in poor turnout.  

Lara*, another small business owner, shared similar frustrations. She had worked with Foxtail twice, describing them as unorganised.  

Lara also felt the events lacked visibility, “A lot of the attendees at Cuba Dupa also told us that they didn’t even know there was a market within the event.”  

“The fact that their idea of promoting us was just a post on the Instagram a few days before the event was ridiculous.” 

In a statement to Massive, Foxtail Events said they take the concerns seriously, “We understand the importance of listening to our community and continuously improving our practices.” 

The company disagreed with claims that there was no advertising for Cupa Dupa in particular, saying promotion for the event started four months in advance. 

They outlined a multi-channel promotional strategy, including billboard signage, directional signage, print and online campaigns, social media promotion, and vendor spotlights in the days leading up to markets. 

“We are committed to affordability and accessibility for vendors. Our focus is on creating safe, welcoming, and successful events where small businesses, artists, and creatives can thrive.” 

They concluded by acknowledging that “no organisation is perfect” and welcomed ongoing feedback from their community. 

But not all vendors were dissatisfied. Thea*, a stall holder at the Massey comic and pop culture market, said she’s worked with Foxtail over ten times and has had generally positive experiences. 

She said promoting events via social media can be difficult particularly with tricky algorithms. “I don’t think it is necessarily Foxtail's fault that the events aren’t seen.” 

For Thea, outcomes often come down to the product and customer attendance, “If other stallholders aren’t doing well then maybe it’s their product and not Foxtail.” 

Jude, owner of small business Cult NZ, also defended Foxtail, saying their early market experiences with the company helped them build connections in the local creative scene.  

They believe Foxtail’s organisers care about their vendors and are open to feedback.  

“I think people tend to get frustrated when they don’t make much profit/break even etc and are quick to jump to complain about the event organisers.” 

Jude pointed to the tough market scene due to the economic climate. “If there isn’t much foot traffic on the day, breaking even can be a bit difficult.” 

*Names changed for anonymity.