We had a big issue with this at management team - not just with mobiles, but they all have blackberrys as well and seemed to spend more time reading their email than participating in the meeting.
So, I took an empty cardboard box, labelled it "mobiles here" and plonked it on my desk. As they arrived for the next meeting, I took all their phones/blackberrys from them, labelled them with their names, and put them in the box advising them that all their secretaries knew where they were and would call my office in an emergency, and if any mobile rang I would personally answer it and take a message (unless it was urgent, then I would fetch them from the meeting).
I don't like treating senior managers like children, but when my boss has to repeat himself when asking questions because they're too busy reading their mail to be listening, it just makes my blood boil.
After a lot of whinging from some, they all finally complied!! It was even better when the Chief Exec was attending the meeting the following week and arrived with the "worst grumblers", saw the box, commented "I must tell my staff to try that" and handed her phone over to me on the way in to the meeting. SUCCESS!!
It's not quite so easy with external visitors, but I started with the "I'm terribly sorry but we don't permit mobiles into meetings so if you would kindly switch it off, or perhaps leave it with me and I can take your messages for you...." the word soon got round that we won't condone unnecessary interruptions.
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