As a Canadian, I can honestly say the only direct financial benefit to the ISGB membership is the discount to the Gathering since we don't get any of the other benefits available to the US members.
That said, i've been a member for three years now and attended two Gatherings (Rochester/Seattle) and for that alone, i feel it's worth maintaining the membership ongoing. Once I developed a certain level of skill and confidence in my beadmaking, it was great to get out of my own tiny local community and see what other beadmakers from around the world were doing - frankly it was a HUGE eyeopener, really helped with my own creative progression plus i've made some fabulous freinds who i now chat with regularly through Facebook.
It's definitely not cheap and definitely for everyone - but imo if you're serious about building your reputation as a professional glass beadmaker on an international (as opposed to local/hobbyist) scale, it makes sense to be part of the ISGB and to participate in the ongoing international competitions and exhibitions they run to slowly build that level of exposure and credibility as a glass bead artist. Plus this is the only international organization i know of dedicated solely to the support of our craft so for that alone i'll likely continue to support it.
In terms of int'l members not having access to the main ISGB benefits - i would agree - but there are volunteer regional coordinators for most areas of the world and if the int'l region volumes were to grow that probably would lead to the possibility of us organizing similar benefits of our own. But without the membership volumes that would make those discounts profitable for third-party suppliers though - it's hard to negotiate the incentives that would make an int'l ISGB membership more attractive - kind of a catch 22, no?
