Echo Base Charity Con, a beloved Star Wars fan convention with a heart, returns on May 24th, 2025, at Pathé Amsterdam-Noord in the Netherlands. This year’s event promises not only exciting activities and special guests, including the legendary Anthony Daniels, known for his iconic portrayal of C-3PO, but also a central focus on supporting KiKa, a foundation dedicated to fighting childhood cancer. Organizers Patrick Keuris and Wiebe van der Werk share their journey of creating an event that combines the magic of Star Wars with a meaningful charity mission. We sat down with them to learn more about their inspiration, the creative process behind the event, and how they successfully integrate fundraising into the fun-filled experience.
What inspired the idea of combining a Star Wars fan convention with a charity initiative?
Echo Base was initially an unofficial fan club on a non-profit basis founded by fans and for fans, and the main idea behind Echo Base was to bring Star Wars fans together. One of those ways was by organising a fan convention. We wanted to give the complete package. Not just a room full of vendors and a couple of guests. It had to be a day full of experiences. And with the second edition we introduced the charity aspect which is now central to the event. Like many such initiatives it starts out because something hit home. Cancer unfortunately visits the homes of many families and such was also the case with us. And so it became a relatively easy way to not just do something for our fellow fans, but to also give something back to society. To be able to do some good with the thing we love.
How do you decide which guests, panels, or exhibits to feature each year?
The best way to describe it is that it just happens. We set out to make a day where people can be entertained the entire day, but also inspired. And we build around that idea. But it always starts with deciding upon a certain theme. For example, this year marks the 45th anniversary of The Empire Strikes Back. So we decided to set the date of May 24th to coincide with that celebration. And then we add layer upon layer in the form of a portion of guests with an Empire background, panels and talks with a connection to the film. We usually have a good idea of who or what we want to bring to the event, but you never know how things will work out. We also always have opportunities come to us. We’ve had fan film screenings, talks about the real ideas or science behind the Star Wars and other scifi movies and panels about how effects shots in modern movies are made.
With such a wide age range of Star Wars fans, how do you balance nostalgia for the original trilogy with content that resonates with newer generations?
While you try to do that by balancing your guest list or the panels and talks you offer, it mainly comes from the people that visit the event. It is the shared love of Star Wars that ultimately brings the generations together. But as we are fans ourselves, we individually love some things the same and some things different. One might be more of a movie fan, and the other loves the live action and animated shows as well. So in a sense we are our own audience, so you try to bring as many of the things you love yourself to the table.
The charity element is central to Echo Base Con. Can you tell us more about the chosen charity and why it’s a good fit for the event?
We have raised money for a number of charities. Cancer has always been a central theme, but we soon shifted to children related charities, like Make a Wish and Unicef. KiKa is an organisation that centers on research to eradicate cancer in children. This is the second time KiKa is our chosen charity. George Lucas created Star Wars for families and children in particular, so it was quite a logical choice to focus on children-based charities.
Echo Base Charity Con stands out for its charity-driven mission. How do you integrate fundraising into the convention experience without detracting from the fun for attendees?
By making fund raising fun itself. For example, we have a charity lottery with very cheap tickets and a high winning rate. Or a charity auction where people can bid on some special items. So even if people were to have greedy or selfish motives, they will indirectly be helping the charity anyway and help us raise funds for the charity. So each and every visitor will consciously or unconsciously contribute and we will create some form of awareness for the charity in the end.
What has been the most surprising or touching feedback you’ve received from attendees or the charity partners?
Knock on wood, but when things go well, you don’t get much feedback. You usually have people go: ”So when is the next one?!” One of the most impressive things though we experienced was when we were approached by Make-A-Wish to help and make a wish come true of a terminally ill child who was a big Star Wars fan. We had raised funds for this charity in the past, which is relatively easy compared to fulfilling a wish. It felt like a huge responsibility. You can’t slip up on something like that. A couple of days after the event we received an email saying the child and his family had a wonderful day. It is hard to describe what reading that does to you.
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