GOLD COAST: Queensland retailers saw significant financial gains as a result of the National Retail Association (NRA) Fashion Design Awards and Festival staged in the Gold Coast recently.
A report in News Limited newspapers today states that the festival, which wrapped up last week, saw "massive gains" financially with up to 80,000 people attending the 10-day festival.
According to online news site goldcoast.com.au, the event has grown signically since its shift from Brisbane three years ago.
Cashed up crowds were drawn to Broadbeach to see what judges - which this year included top Australian designers Wayne Cooper and Jonathan Ward along with Kiwi Trelise Cooper - thought about the emerging design talent with major sponsor Pacific Fair and local boutiques also drawing more business as a result of the event.
While the exact dollar figure of the event will not be released until the end of April, event organisers said crowd numbers to some events were double 2007's total, the site noted.