Sharing with clients and vendors

One of the most common sources of event-day confusion is that different people have different versions of the plan. The Middleman solves this by giving you a single source of truth — and letting you share the right slice of it with each person who needs it.

Sharing with your client

Client portal link Every production file has a client view — a clean, read-only portal that shows your client only the documents relevant to them: the Event Proposal, Run-of-Show Timeline, and any documents you've marked as client-visible.

To share with your client: open the production file → click Share → Client Portal → copy the link.

The client doesn't need a Middleman account. They can view the documents on any device. When you update the production file, their portal automatically reflects the latest version.

Key benefit: Your client always has the current version. No more "wait, I have a different PDF" on event day.

Sharing with vendors

Individual vendor briefs Each vendor category has its own view of the production file. Your rental company sees the Rental Order and the Run-of-Show timeline. Your catering team sees the Kitchen Prep Schedule, Staffing Plan, and Timeline. Your photographer sees the timeline and floor plan.

To share with a vendor: open the production file → click Share → Vendor Briefs → select the vendor category → copy the link.

Vendor email generator Each production file also contains pre-written vendor communication emails with the relevant brief attached. Go to Vendor Emails in your production file to find these — they're ready to send with the vendor's specific documents included.

Access control

By default, shared links are view-only and don't require a Middleman account. You can:

• Set an expiry date — useful for event proposals you want to expire after a certain date
• Require email verification — the recipient must confirm their email to access the link
• Revoke access — if a vendor relationship changes, revoke their link immediately

Best practices

Share early, share often. The most common feedback we get from event professionals is that they wish they'd shared the production file with vendors sooner. Earlier alignment means fewer day-of surprises.

Don't email attachments. PDFs get outdated. If you update the production file (and you will), the PDF your vendor has doesn't update. The portal link does.

Keep your vendor contact list current. The platform learns which vendors you share with for which event types — this improves future recommendations.