Talk ain’t cheap

Minutes cost millions when you're bidding for an after-dinner speaker - especially if his name is Donald Trump. Arabian Business counts the cash on the cummerbund circuit.

It's rare to speak of Donald Trump and Osama Bin Laden in the same breath, but they do have one thing in common: ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the profitable world of after-dinner speaking.

Best known as the billionaire famed for his real estate empire, Trump also moonlights as one of the world's most sought-after speakers, with an appearance fee to match. Bin Laden, before his Al Qaeda commitments took hold, doubled up as a wedding speaker.

Whether a tycoon or terrorist, clearly the lucrative lure of the speaker circuit is hard to resist. In return for hefty fees, VIPs are expected to amuse, entertain and educate - all within a half hour slot. For luminaries such as ex-presidents and A-list celebrities, speeches are a quick path to cash, and those at the top of the tree can name their price.

Leading the pack is the toupee-clad Trump who, according to his PA, commands a cool $1m for overseas gigs. For an average 90-minute speech, that's around $11,000 a minute - possibly more if the self-confessed germophobe is required to shake hands.

He scored $6m for a three-day tour in Australia last year, ostensibly for teaching delegates to ‘Think like a Billionaire'. On his home turf, Trump's prices start at $200,000, according to the All American Speakers Bureau; a snip at just $2,200 a minute.

Former US president Bill Clinton is another big hitter on the oratory A-list. Out of reach for all but the grandest of bashes, he earns up to $450,000 per gig for his gilded rhetoric. In the five years after his exit from the oval office, he pocketed $50m in speaking fees - last year he made nearly $6m. Little wonder then, that ex-president George Bush's first move after the White House was to jump onto the post-prandial gravy train.

"I'll give some speeches, to replenish the ol' coffers," he said back in September 2007. "I don't know what my dad gets - it's more than $50-75,000 [a speech], and Clinton's making a lot of money."

Bush, a man known for his ability to mangle words, has since been snapped up by the exclusive Washington Speakers Bureau (other WSB glitterati include ex-PM Tony Blair and U2 frontman Bono) where he is touted to the business world for a six-figure sum.

If celebrities are more your market, expect a little more bang for your buck. JLA, one of the UK's biggest speaker agencies, splits its clients into fee grades. The priciest, the AAs who cost upwards of $36,000, are a small group that includes include Lance Armstrong, Sir Alan Sugar and mind-magician Paul McKenna. Still too pricey? Try famed spin doctor Alistair Campbell, who has a price tag of just $15,000.

On the other side of the pond, spending upwards of $50,000 at All American Speakers Bureau buys you an audience with Whoopi Goldberg, while household names Bill Cosby and Jay Leno start at $100,000. F1 ace Michael Schumacher is also open to bids, but is a little shyer about his starting price.

So what's in it for the paying client? "Not to put it crudely, but bums on seats," says JLA boss Jeremy Lee. "A big name on the ticket is still what is going to make people turn up."

Of course, fees are only a portion of the perks laid on for star speakers. Rudy Giuliani made millions giving speeches after his term as Mayor of New York ended, but his clients forked out for more than his megabucks fee.

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