Clinton to present keynote speech at Oracle confab

Bill Clinton will give the keynote speech at Oracle's AppsWorld conference in New Orleans next week.

"There's not a lot of people who have sat in his seat," said Jennifer Glass, vice president of corporate public relations at Oracle. "His experience as president during all this technological innovation gives him a unique perspective."

Oracle would not disclose how much it is paying the former U.S. president for his speech Monday, but Glass said it is comparable to other speaking fees he has received. Last week, Clinton accepted between $100,000 and $150,000 to speak at Morgan Stanley. The move sparked the financial company's CEO to issue an apology to shareholders.

Since Clinton's departure from the White House, companies have hotly pursued him for speaking engagements. Executives at speakers' bureaus say their clients are willing to pay any price for a moment with the former commander in chief.

"It's not about the money, it's about being able to say he's been there," said Marta Flynn, vice president of Key Speakers Bureau, which represents clients including IBM and Walt Disney. "People want him because he's controversial and he's interesting. He's everything mixed together. He's good and he's bad. He's an enigma."

Clinton may see some familiar faces in the crowd during his keynote speech at AppsWorld. In November, former White House Press Secretary Joe Lockhart joined the Redwood Shores, Calif., company as head of communications.