Making your protest at your least favourite company's Annual General Meeting (AGM) is good for several reasons including ...You're unlikely to get cold, wet and muddy ...You're talking to the big fish, top dogs and fat cats ...You'Il embarrass them at their holy of holiest ...You might get a good spread of food and drink You're very unlikely to be arrested.

A public companies must hold an AGM, where all shareholders are invited to vote to approve the company Annual Report and accounts, and to elect Company Directors. An AGM is when a company is under greatest public scrutiny, and thus provides a lovely opportunity to dig out its dirty underwear, or tell the bosses what you think of their anti-social activifies. Companies are legally required to carry out certain functions at their AGM, and so serious disruption could theoretically place the company in breach of the Companies Act, or at least force it to hold another meeting.

The first stage is to buy shares, through a high street bank or stockbroker. As a fee is charged per transaction, it's best to pool money and buy as many shares as you need in one person's name, and then transfer one share each to everyone who wants one. Transfer forms are available from the registrars who are administering the shares. They will arrange the transfers at no extra cost~ if As this takes time, buy and transfer the shares as soon as possible after you've decided that you want to attend the AGM.

The registrars will send shareholders advance ~ notification of the AGM - usually held in summer- and also of any additional Extraordinary General Meetings (EGMs).

Checking out the venue well beforehand will help to form your plans. Discuss what you want to achieve - sympathetic press coverage, embarrassment, or outright chaos'? Escalation tactics, such as asking questions first and becoming disruptive as they remain unanswered, may allow you to pursue several objectives at the same meeting. Read the company's Annual Report to prepare questions.

You could set up a bogus shareholders' association, purporting to be the voice of small shareholders concerned with the company's direction, and send out provocative press releases. You could also arrange and publicise a demo outside for non-shareholding protesters to leaflet share holders and wave banners. Send out a press release describing a photo-opportunity outside. Prepare leaflets to put on shareholders' chairs - they might even read them if they superficially mimic the company's own literature. Consider arranging accom modation and holding a discussion or briefing meeting the night before the AGM to finalise plans.

On the day, dress smartly, and don't forget your share certificate. Be prepared for serious security - you may be frisked, have your bag X-rayed and your pockets searched, and be "metal- detected". Smuggling in cameras, stinkbombs, whistles, handcuffs and other paraphernalia of disruption will be tricky, especially if they're metal. Ride small items in your underwear or shoes.

AGMs can seem intimidating. The board will Sit on a raised platform at the front, with the first few rows of seats packed with company employees, and security guards in suits.

Security may also lurk around the edge of the hall. The roving microphones which shareholders use to ask questions will be carried by security, and can be switched off if you start ranting. Keep hold of the microphone until they have answered your question.

The meeting will begin with an introduction by the Chairman, followed ~by the start of business. Don't be distracted by aiming to win the votes, as they are decided according to how many shares each voter holds, and the board will almost certainly hold a controlling proportion. A common

See Diary for some AGM's...