NEW YORK, Oct 19 (Reuters) - Activist investor Starboard

Value, which built a 9% stake in Tripadvisor ( TRIP ) earlier this year,

plans to discuss the need to make changes at the travel-review

company at an industry conference on Tuesday, two sources

familiar with the matter said on Sunday.

Starboard, which is run by Jeff Smith, has been engaging

with Tripadvisor ( TRIP ) for several weeks, the sources said. They were

not permitted to talk about what was said during the private

sessions.

Smith has not discussed the investment publicly and it is

not clear what changes Starboard, which often focuses on

operational improvements, may have pressed management to make.

A representative for Tripadvisor ( TRIP ) could not be reached for

comment.

Tripadvisor ( TRIP ) allows customers to find and review hotels. Its

Viator unit lets users book and review tours and other

experiences, while TheFork offers restaurant reservation

services.

In 2024, the company conducted a strategic review.

For years, Smith has been the kickoff speaker at the annual

13D Monitor Active Passive Investment Summit in New York, which

marks the unofficial start of the proxy season, where activist

investors ratchet up pressure on companies to perform better.

Smith is expected to discuss Tripadvisor ( TRIP ) and possibly other

investments at the conference, the sources said.

Starboard ranks among the industry's busiest activists and

this year won board seats at automation software company BILL

Holdings ( BILL ), design software company Autodesk ( ADSK ) and

Tylenol and Band-Aid maker Kenvue ( KVUE ).

The share price of Tripadvisor ( TRIP ), which has a market

capitalization of $1.8 billion, has risen roughly 17% since

Starboard's investment became public in early July. But in the

last 12 months, its shares have gained just 0.33%.

(Reporting by Svea Herbst-Bayliss; Editing by Thomas

Derpinghaus.)