NEW YORK, Feb. 3 -- Bowne Financial Print, the world's largest financial printer, leading EDGAR filer and a division of Bowne & Co., Inc., today announced the publication of Preparing for Your 2004 Annual Meeting. This guidebook, updated by Brian J. Lane, Elizabeth Ising, Jacqueline Landells, and Spencer H. Wright, all of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP, is designed as an aid for corporate counsel in their efforts to organize, schedule and run their annual meetings. This helpful guide describes major SEC regulations for U.S. companies, New York Stock Exchange and NASDAQ requirements, and state laws governing the preparation of annual meeting documents. Outlined in detail are the content of materials distributed to shareholders in connection with the annual meeting, filing requirements, rules governing the setting of record and meeting dates, and procedures for handling shareholder proposals and contacting beneficial owners. Additionally, tips for EDGARizing proxy materials, a checklist to follow when preparing for an annual meeting, a sample D&O questionnaire, and a sample annual meeting script are all included. "This year's edition of the guide features a wealth of new information on such important topics as the ramifications of adoption of new rules issued by The New York Stock Exchange and NASDAQ, the new larger roles played by institutional shareholders, and new proposals on shareholder nomination rules and what it will mean for your company," said Brian J. Lane, a partner with Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP. "The real value of this book is that it pulls together a lot of useful information into one easy-to-use guide," Lane added. "Publication of this helpful guidebook is just part of Bowne's commitment to maintaining and advancing our industry leadership in bringing Bowne clients an array of securities-related resources and tools that are simply not available through any other single source," said John Batt, Vice President of Marketing for Bowne Financial Print. "Our publications, such as Preparing For Your 2004 Annual Meeting and The Public Company Handbook, and SecuritiesConnect(TM), our industry-leading, Web-based resource for securities and compliance-related information, combine to offer our clients not only the up-to-date securities and regulatory news they need, but the kind of interpretation, insight and analysis that gives them the critical perspective they need. This is just part of why Bowne remains the world's largest financial printer and leading EDGAR filer," Batt said.