Here’s a sampling of the wildly successful and attention-getting events we’ve helped execute.
Selected Projects & Experience
Great destinations are built through a combination of creative vision, sound business strategy, and the ability to turn ambitious ideas into reality.
The following projects reflect the executive leadership, consulting, attraction development, and destination revitalization experience behind Elite Attractions.
Buffalo & Erie County Naval & Military Park
Destination Revitalization | Capital Development | Executive Leadership
As President and CEO of the Buffalo Naval Park, Brian Luallen is leading the transformation of one of America’s most distinctive naval heritage destinations into a more dynamic, accessible, and financially sustainable cultural attraction.
Current initiatives include a long-range campus master plan, expanded educational and visitor experiences, new seasonal programming, and the advancement of a $22 million preservation and drydock program for USS The Sullivans and USS Croaker.
The work brings together historic preservation, waterfront placemaking, public-private partnerships, and earned-revenue development to strengthen the Park’s role in Buffalo’s revitalizing waterfront.
Nightmare Wharf
Original Attraction Development | Immersive Entertainment | Seasonal Activation
Created and executive produced by Brian Luallen, Nightmare Wharf is an original immersive Halloween attraction developed for the Buffalo Naval Park.
Its inaugural season introduces two distinct experiences: The Infected District, an atmospheric haunted attraction inspired by Buffalo’s waterfront history, and Project Blackwater, a Cold War-inspired experience aboard the historic USS Little Rock.
The project demonstrates how existing cultural destinations can create compelling new entertainment experiences, reach different audiences, and generate additional revenue through seasonal activation.
Surf Ballroom Music Experience Center
Cultural Destination Development | Immersive Attractions | Strategic Consulting
At Iowa’s legendary Surf Ballroom, Brian provided strategic consulting and attraction development expertise supporting the Music Experience Center and its broader destination development initiative.
His work included the development and opening of Not Fade Away, an immersive attraction connecting visitors with the music, history, and cultural legacy of the Surf Ballroom.
The project is part of a larger, approximately $36 million initiative to expand the destination’s cultural and economic impact while preserving its extraordinary place in American music history.
Fair Park | Dallas, Texas
Destination Leadership | Capital Investment | Public-Private Partnerships
As chief executive of Dallas’s 277-acre Fair Park, a National Historic Landmark and one of America’s most significant cultural and entertainment campuses, Brian helped guide a new era of investment, revitalization, and long-term destination planning.
He chaired the successful Proposition A campaign committee and helped advocate for more than $400 million in public investment benefiting Fair Park, including major improvements to the Cotton Bowl Stadium and the development of a new community park.
His leadership emphasized sustainable operations, cultural partnerships, expanded programming, and the long-term potential of one of the nation’s most important public destinations.
RMS Queen Mary | Long Beach, California
Attraction Development | Entertainment Operations | Capital Improvements
At the historic RMS Queen Mary, Brian held senior attractions and entertainment leadership responsibilities, helping strengthen the ship’s position as a distinctive visitor destination.
His work included the planning and direction of approximately $5 million in capital improvements, including the Ford Theater and a major refresh of the ship’s existing Ghosts and Legends attraction.
Through expanded programming, improved attractions, and strategic entertainment development, the destination’s signature Halloween event grew from approximately 65,000 to 165,000 attendees.
Additional Attractions & Professional Experience
Entertainment | Cultural Attractions | Experiential Development
Brian’s career also includes work with nationally recognized entertainment attractions, cultural institutions, and visitor destinations, including Netherworld Haunted House, Stone Mountain Park, the Witte Museum, the Georgia Renaissance Festival, ScareLA, Wild Adventures, and other attractions.
These experiences span immersive entertainment, seasonal attractions, destination operations, creative development, and the business of delivering memorable guest experiences.
The Business and Art of Creating Memories.
Elite Attractions brings the creative imagination and executive experience needed to help organizations envision, develop, and sustain exceptional destinations.