Peter Johansen Opens New SGM Showroom in Mexico City

	In the SGM booth of LDI 2015, with SGM partners Representaciones de Audio. From left to right, Estuardo Zárate, Jaime Celis, Peter Johansen, Ben Díaz, Juan Carlos Cedillo, Pedro Paulin, and Mario Radice.

In November 2014, Spanish lighting designer, Ben Díaz joined SGM as area manager and global product trainer. Since then, in an effort to rearrange SGM's distribution network to match its growing presence in the architectural and entertainment markets in Mexico and subsequently across the Latin American region, Díaz relocated temporarily to Mexico. Now, less than a year later, the company says Díaz and the SGM team are reaping the benefits of a successful 2015 in Mexico.

To celebrate the Mexican success and to formally open the new SGM showroom in Mexico City, SGM CEO Peter Johansen will travel to Mexico in the end of February. The official opening will take place February 25, at 5:00pm.

The showroom is managed by SGM distributor, Representaciones de Audio, and equipped as an exclusive venue and a permanent installation designed for the SGM products. Díaz and Johansen encourage everyone to visit.

During his visit to Mexico, Johansen will also attend the Expo Lighting America (ELA) trade show, and lead a master class, in architectural lighting at the Centro Banamex Exhibition Centre, February 26, at 3:00pm. Johansen's master class will revolve around the theme of colors. He elaborated: "God said, let there be light. I said, let there be color. My mission is to start a color revolution and to open the eyes of the world to the possibilities of color offered by modern LED technology."

The company says, as part of SGM's strategy to conquer South and Central America and reorganize distribution, Mexico was chosen as the first point of call due to its proximity to the US and its influence on the entire continent. Some of the biggest tours from North America and Spain also visit Mexico. According to Díaz, the Mexican rental companies are very professional, while Mexican television channels are the broadcasting reference for the rest of the continent. Both factors contribute to providing the perfect climate for SGM's success. But reorganizing distribution does not come without hard work. Díaz explained: "We invested a lot of time to train our exclusive partners while visiting potential customers and important trade shows. But our efforts paid off, and we are now the leading lighting manufacturer in the country."

Based on the successful Mexican setup, Díaz spent much of 2015 venturing into the rest of the continent, the company reports, achieving equally satisfying results. Díaz believes there are many reasons for SGM's success in Latin America; one of them being SGM's transformation to LED. Díaz said: "We have built our new LED fixtures for the long-term, and we are creating a full experience based on qualified service, permanent support, and versatile solutions. As a result, we now have prestigious, multi-purpose solutions, and a mission to grow across the continent."

The SGM website has recently gone live in a Spanish language version and news, blogs, and social media posts are published regularly in Spanish.

Commenting on SGM's Mexican success, Díaz said: "We are proud of our achievements, however we also acknowledge that a lot of it comes down to the hard work and dedication of our partners, customers, and friends who have helped to expand the SGM family across Latin America. Jaime Celis and his team at RDA have also done a great job developing the brand and presenting our products to massive audiences at the major trade shows every year. Thank you."

Díaz extends an invitation to everyone to visit the SGM booth at the ELA, February 24 - 26, where the G-1 Beam will be showcased for the first time in Latin America.