If you’ve ever been to one of SHRM’s annual conferences, you know that it’s usually a pretty good mix of work and play. This year’s SHRM Annual Conference and Exposition was no exception.

The roughly 13,000 human resources professionals who attended the event last month in Atlanta, Ga. had more than their fair share of thought-provoking sessions (including keynotes led by Condoleezza Rice, Malcolm Gladwell, Jim Collins and Tom Brokaw), and entertainment (such as a Tuesday night performance by Jerry Seinfeld, as well as countless parties and cocktail hours throughout the week) from which to choose.

Naturally, CareerBuilder couldn’t help but get in on the fun…

Using this year’s setting as inspiration, CareerBuilder created a Southern Charm-style booth, complete with themed giveaways, a fantasy photo booth and a cooking demonstration with local restaurant owner (and former ‘Top Chef’ contestant) Kevin Gillespie. See how it all went down right here:

Of course, as much fun as we like to have, we’re also there to meet you, our community, and gain a better understanding of how we can enhance your recruiting and employee development experience.

Here’s a peek of what SHRM-goers had to say about today’s most top-of-mind HR trends:

And speaking of enhancing your experience…we’d be remiss if we didn’t make it our mission to educate the HR community about our newest offerings and updates – all designed to make your job easier and more effective.

Check out what’s new for CareerBuilder in 2012:

Beyond what was happening in the exposition hall were the sessions, many of which Amy Chulik and I were able to attend. Stay tuned for recaps, highlights and top takeawayas from our favorite sessions – and feel free to weigh in with your own thoughts on SHRM in the comments section below.

Did you attend SHRM 2012 in Atlanta? What did you enjoy most? What would you keep or change for next year’s SHRM conference in Chicago?