As someone in Australia this is also relevant to my interests. :)

However I note in terms of min-maxing, if I were allocating limited scholarship funds, I would want a very compelling reason to bring one international attendee when the same money could perhaps instead result in half a dozen additional USA attendees. I'm obviously not speaking for the SIAI and there is a counter-argument for casting a wider net.

(Actually I have no stake in this, if I were to attend it would be self-funded.)

We'll cover the costs of some flights, in special cases. Most people will have to get here on their own.

As to international attendees... yes, we'll consider covering those flights, too, if needed. JoeW's reasoning below is basically correct; given a limited budget, it's better to fly in less expensive people when all else is equal; but the ratios are less extreme than he suggests, since flights are only part of the total costs.