By Svea Herbst-Bayliss

NEW YORK (Reuters) -Activist investor Starboard Value, which built a 9% stake in Tripadvisor 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 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 could not be reached for comment.

Tripadvisor allows customers to find and review hotels. Its V

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